Not So Fancy Nancy

Outside the Box Wall Quilt, Knitting WIPs & a Girl's Twirl Skirt

Boring title, but accurate.

As a birthday/Father's Day gift I made a quilt for behind my husband's desk at work. I've told him it'll give his employees something to groove on while he's droning on talking without being so obvious as staring out the window (I was joking, but he said there are sure to be a few who agree). Seriously, I thought it would add some vibrancy to his otherwise austere office. It's only propped up on a bookshelf here - it is straight and flat. I thought I'd leave the background junk for scale.

Outside the Box from The Modern Quilt Workshop
45" x 45"
Loni Rossi prints plus Micheal Miller Fairy Frost and black, water-spotted batik
King Tut quilting multi-colored thread

Played around a bit with the quilting. Meandered in the background, squiggled in the blocks and followed the lines in the floating squares. Much more heavily quilted than my usual style. I wasn't sure at first, but after washing I really like the way the texture looks in life as you move around it. Couldn't really capture that in a single photo, but here's a quilting detail:

I didn't want to buy more batting with so many large scraps around so I finally tried zig-zagging them together. Easy as pie and it works perfectly. You just feed them through abutting each other with a wide zigzag stitch and you've got what works like a single piece.

Lizard Ridge is coming along. Just finishing the 10th block. Let's just ignore that pesky seaming for now and call it halfway. Still in love with the Noro colorways, which is what keeps this project interesting.

Summer of Lace is underway and I've got two projects on the needles so far. Going to keep this post short so I can go and knit right now. Somehow all that "slow summertime knitting" has not come about yet, but I think we're getting our groove now. It's only week two, so I have hope.

Icarus in Misti Alpaca Handpaint Lace. Triangular shawls just don't look like much on the needles, especially straights, but I think this will be beautiful.

Hanami Stole in Filatura Di Crosa Superior cashmere and silk laceweight that's so incredibly soft. I love the beaded edge.

We presented the Kindergarten teacher's quilt at the end of the year picnic and I was thrilled to see the kids so excited about finding and showing their blocks to the teacher. She says she'll hang it for next year. This scene made the work worthwhile.

A party needs a skirt. Emily likes a touch of glam.

 

That dangling middle tooth finally fell out! We were all getting pretty tired of seeing her push it out between her lips (she's got a good dose of boyness when it comes to gross behavior). Now I've got a classic gappy 6-yr-old. She was pretty excited about school letting out. Can you tell?

Off to do something rather than think about what I might do. ACTION is my goal this summer!

Joel Dewberry Chocolate and Eggshells Quilt

June 2:  Revised title and added these three new photos. These show the the variety in the prints the best. After this the post is the same. 

Julie's comment made me understand why I didn't quite like my title last night, but couldn't put my finger on it. Eggshell blue has always been a favorite color of mine. Also captured in the "eggshell" name are the four different cream on cream fabrics by Joel Dewberry. They're really hard to photograph, but in person your eye gets caught by the different prints. I just took a couple of new photos this morning in better light. I've been tidying the house waiting for the marine layer to lift. Voila, 10 AM sunshine, right on schedule. Now that's it's been properly documented I'll give it over to the girl.

BTW, Husband's story about the long drive was in his favor overall. They were led on an adventure by some guys in the group who were looking for a swimming hole. He regrets not taking the full state map since they went off his PC printout of driving directions. He had to take someone else's word for the best route back and it was the long way. I didn't mention the concept of stopping and asking since I know it's a genetic improbability. How long do you think it will be before a GPS appears in this house? He redeemed himself by complimenting my quilt.

My darling daughter picked the fabric, the pattern and the quilting style. We were in Sowing Sisters and the fabric had just arrived. They were cutting fabric packs and she just fell in love. I think we all know how that feels!

She's been gone this weekend with my husband on a father/daughter YMCA trip. They went white water rafting on the Kern River. Should have been back around 4-5 PM, but the cell phone call I got around 5:30 had some mention of "bad driving info" from another dad, so they were on the 99 just passing Bakersfield. What? For those of you not familiar with that area, we live about 4 hours south of their rafting campground and the call came from well east of it, and on the wrong side of the mountains. Something tells me that mountain passes and roads without exits for many miles were involved. This will be good for some major ragging from me next time he tries to give me directions anywhere! Driving the Grapevine and then LA on a Sunday night is not a good thing. He's with another dad/daughter pair, so I'm sure they're both pretty chagrined, but that won't stop me. Maybe for tonight, out of pure kindness, but it's fair game in the future!

When I set up this photo below I wanted to stop, run and get my knitting and a cup of tea and settle in to enjoy the last light.

But there's been no rest for me today. I'd promised to have it finished before she returned. My DH had the nerve to roll his eyes at that, but my DD had faith, bless her sweet little 10-yr-old heart! Finished it this afternoon if only to spite him (don't tell her, it's an adult thing) and just pulled it out of the drier before the sun went down. Ran around trying to find good light, but this much contrast in the fabrics is challenging in any light. I'm amusing myself here with the multiple exposures.

I adore the old Amy Butler fabric on the back. That's been waiting in stash for just the right project and this was it. Only had 5 yards, so I've got about 10" leftover.

Now I just have to decide if I'm going to put it on her bed ... maybe not. I guess I should since she was kind enough not to complain a bit when this was put aside in the home stretch so I could make the teacher's quilt. Might let her have it ... as long as I retain napping rights! This loveseat in the courtyard is my favorite spot. Looks perfect there to me.

Pattern:  Turning Twenty. Yeah, I know I've used it a bunch, but it is so fast, makes great use of a fat quarters, and really shows off big prints well. I've definitely gotten my money's worth with this pattern. Tried to interest Rachel in other patterns, but she had her heart set on this one. She was also very set on straight line quilting, so I did a 1/4" offset to amuse myself (though about halfway through the fact that I'd doubled my seam runs was not lost on me).

Fabric:  Lots of Joel Dewberry with damask prints from Robert Kaufman's Hot Couturier line and polka dots added to the mix. Backing fabric is an old print from Amy Butler I had stashed. The binding is Joel Dewberry.

Quilting Thread:  King Tut multi in shades of cream/brown. With the huge color separations on the fabrics whichever way I went - light, aqua, brown - the thread would pop some of the time. Decided on the muted approach, and the multi softened it another step.

The edge is not as wavy as it looks here. The evening breeze was blowing under it and kept lifting the side. Hard to take photos because I kept lunging to keep it from falling into the not-so-fresh fountain water. I didn't want to wash it twice the first day.

Used the bias maker tool again to make the binding (see previous post for info). Learned a lot on that last one and this one looks exactly like I'd hoped. Found a zigzag stitch very suited to this application. So nice to cut that last thread and be FINISHED! The bias tape is sewn from the front side with the zigzag right along the tape edge. The back side of the tape is ever so slightly wider, so you get a little fudge room back there. I know this is untraditional, but I like it a lot.

As always, I had kitty and canine helpers during my photo-shoot. August (orange boy) was rolling around behind me and Cami dog kept rushing the lens to say hi (that tongue can be dangerous), but of course Raven Star found her way on screen.

Well, youngest daughter is asleep on the office futon behind me. She expected to see Daddy tonight to show him her face painting so I'll let her skip a bath. He can wash it off in the AM. Save this, get her tucked in, empty the dishwasher and I'm knitting lace. Next time, Icarus.

Tutorial: Kids' Artwork Quilt with Fabric Bias Tape Binding

Quilted, bound and washed. Signed, sealed and delivered. It's DONE!

Objective:

Create an art quilt for Kindergarten teacher to celebrate her marriage and name change. I wanted to the kids' artwork to be the focus, so I choose black and white fabric to frame each square. Hand lettered the name and info boxes with the same lettering I use when writing for my daughter to copy. I thought about doing something on the PC, but I wanted the relaxed, fun look that went with the kids' handwriting. Kept it small (32" W x 40" H) so she could hang it in the classroom.

Materials:

* 1 yd Kona Cotton (Snow)
* Freezer Paper (avail. at Grocery store, stocked with foil, etc) cut to 6" squares
* Pentel Fabric Fun pastels (avail. at Blick art supply and on line for less than $4 a set) (I bought three sets to make it easier to share, but you could get away with two)
* Elmer's Painters acrylic paint pens (avail. at Michaels)
* 1/2 yd paper doll pattern by Micheal Miller
* 1 yd rulers & patterns from the Moda Peas & Carrots line
* 1 yd backing fabric and 10" of binding fabric, both from an older line by Andover
* 1 package of "craft size" 100% cotton batting
* Clover bias tape maker (1/2" size) (avail. at sewing stores and on line)
* Neutral cotton thread to join and black to quilt
* Basic sewing tools and machine

Making the 6.5" Art Blocks:

* Prep the artwork squares by cutting to 6.5" and backing each square with freezer paper to stabilize for drawing. I cut the freezer paper to 6" to show the seam allowance (and keep the iron clean). 

* We did this in class as a center activity (just asked the teacher not to pay too much attention), which meant working with only 5 or 6 kids at a time for about 10-15 minutes. Several other moms were nice enough to come in and help, so we had lots of adult management.

* Before class I did a sample square with the edging fabric sewn on to make the concept of seam allowance concrete. They want to write on the edge, as is usual with K artwork, so you have to make it clear that their name won't show if they do that. I'm making a big point about this here because even with the paper backing cut 1/4" short and all the instructions, we still had to catch a few edge writers. They were all really concentrating and did great work, but it's a new concept to them.

* We had the kids do most of their art with the pastel sticks. They feel enough like crayons that the kids were very comfortable coloring with them. I LOVE these pastel sticks! The color goes on rich and stays that way after heat setting and even after washing. I did just the quilting on one of these projects in the past where the basic fabric markers were used and the color faded miserably. Those kids were bummed and so was I. For this project I wanted bright, vibrant colors that could be washed.

* We encouraged them to fill the square completely with one SIMPLE image and lots of color. We suggested flowers, their hands, butterflies, hearts, rainbows, etc. As you can see, the power of suggestion is pretty strong at this age, but all the artwork is their own. We stressed that it was like making a card for their teacher and they should think of things she would like. Given the thickness of the pen tips and the kids' ages, I said no writing except for their names.

* Outlines and lettering were done with the markers. We discovered immediately that it was best to keep the markers off the table until the pastel artwork was done. The paint pens write well on top of the pastels, but not the other way around. The paint stays wet for a bit, especially if on top of a heavy layer of pastel, and too much paint can saturate and bleed, so again, it's best if these are used last and with adult supervision.

* Came home and ironed the squares with a hot, dry iron to set the pastels and paint. Be sure to remove the freezer paper first. It's important to place a piece of tissue paper under and over each square to soak up the extra pigment. After heat-setting the colors will not blend or rub off. They're permanent.

Making the 10.5" bordered blocks:

Cut 2.5" strips of black & white fabric selvage to selvage.

From each strip cut two 6.5" x 2.5" strips and two 10.5" x 2.5" strips.

Arrange the art blocks to balance the themes and colors. Then match the b&w pattens to each block, again balancing the prints. Don't get too stressed - just avoid obvious pooling.

Sew the 6.5" strips to each side of each block and press seams toward b&w fabric.

Sew the 10.5" strips to the top and bottom of each block and press seams toward b&w fabric.

Cutting the 8.5" tilted blocks:

Tilting the blocks adds movement and keeps the fun feel of the artwork, especially with the strong lines made by the ruler prints. After finishing all the 10.5" blocks, lay the quilt out again and tilt each block right or left, some a touch more than others, and alternating each block.

Cut each block to 8.5" square as described below, double-checking the tilt direction before beginning to cut. I love strip piecing and assembly line work, but cutting the blocks one at a time with the layout in sight is good here so you can check the direction of each tilt against the whole before cutting.

I used a square ruler I had, which was larger than the finished block size, so I marked the center and edges with masking tape to make alignment easy. The swiveling 12" cutting mat (Olfa) isn't required, but it's fun to use and keeps you from having to shift the block between cuts.  

NOTE:  I'm left handed, so your rotary cutter blade, tape marks and cutting direction may all be reversed. I just thought of this - I don't really know how a right handed person cuts! So, sorry to you unlucky 90%, but you'll just have to work it out to suit you the way we lefties have to do every day.

Using your center bit of tape, find the middle of the block, check the tilt and then make the first cut. 

Without moving the ruler or block, turn 1/4 rotation and make the second cut. I put the first cut back for this photo, but you will have scrapped it.

Lift the ruler and turn the block so the two cut edges are under the taped marks. To be sure your block will be square, double check these edges. Don't watch the fabric or seams, which are tilted - watch the cut edges and the ruler marks.

Make the third cut. Again, without moving the block or ruler, rotate and make the final cut.

Finished! Place the block back in the layout and do the next one.

Join the blocks and complete the quilt top as usual. We only have 17 kids in the class, so I ran the teacher's name across two blocks and used the last one as the info block. I just stitched in the ditch with black thread because of time constraints and to keep it simple.

Making the binding with Clover bias tape maker:

This is easy peasy. I'm very happy with this little tool.

For the 1/2" tape size, cut 1 7/8" strips from selvage to selvage and join as usual for binding (with angled joins pressed open to reduce bulk).

Trim one end of the binding to a blunt point make it easy to load into the tape maker.

Slide it through the slot. The slot guides the fabric to a perfect tape fold. There are no moving parts - that little metal bar just flips up to give you something to hold while you gently pull the fabric through the gadget.

Iron the binding as it slides out of the tape maker. DO NOT slide the iron - lift it up and down and press. Sliding warps the fold.

Pay attention to the seams when they reach the tool. Guide them in smoothly while keeping them flat.

I've found it faster to do the second step of ironing it folded over to 1/2" while each section is on the ironing board. (Please excuse my nasty looking ironing board cover - those are just plain water stains from steaming - makes me scared to drink the tap water!)

I cut this fabric on the straight, but of course you can cut your fabric on the bias and get a true, stretchy bias tape.

Just like with purchased bias tape, one side will be slightly shorter than the other. Sew the shorter side up.

Because of the widely spaced quilting, before trimming the quilt I did a 1/4" line of stay-stitching (longest stitch setting on the machine) around the edges. If you do heavy quilting you might not need it. 

Trim the edges. 

Leaving about six inches at the beginning, place the bias tape around the raw edges and sew the binding around the quilt.

At corners sew to just short of the end (not over) and cut thread (NOT tape). Take the quilt off the machine and fold tape over next side. Tuck the ends to create a mitered corner - it happens naturally, just fiddle with it to make it nice and even. Start sewing again over the mitered corner with a short back-tack.

Finish the binding as usual (check a quilt book if this is new to you).

If you want to hang the quilt with a dowel rod, be sure to apply loops before binding. Space five 1.5" loops across the top on the back of the quilt. Sew the raw edges aligned with the edge of the quilt. The raw edges will be caught under the binding. (That blue fabric isn't part of this quilt, but it does make a nice background for the photo!) 

 

Isn't this backing fabric fun! All this fabric came from the depths of my stash, so I was thrilled to see how well it all went together. This pattern is based on art from the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe New Mexico. I visited years ago and loved it. Definately worth a side trip if you're in that area. 

Wash the quilt in cold water and dry on low. The previously stiff artwork squares will soften and everything will come together nicely. Add a $.79 dowel rod and you've got classroom wall art and a great teacher's gift! Have fun.

Caught in the middle of so many things

"Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be."

Joseph Campbell, 20th Century Philosopher & Mythology Expert, from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living

I'm trying to hold on to that thought. I'm not sure how this knitting is going to work, but I'm still excited:

Pattern:  Surplice Lace Top from Nashua Handknits N. Am Designer Collection #4

Yarn:  Classic Silk by Classic Elite, color 6955

Size:  My gauge is a touch large with the courser yarn, so doing a bit of customizing. Switched to knitting in the round and added a tapered panel to each side to reduce the hip to waist measurement. Planning to start the top below my bustline and do bust darts for shaping. Almost to that point. Cast on a different yarn, but halfway through the first repeat it was obviously not going to work. Got gauge with the swatch, but it bit me when I switched to the pattern work. At least I'm getting faster at recognizing my mistakes.

This last month has had a strange quality. While very busy, nothing particularly horrible or fantastic has happened to me personally, but boy, the world at large has been, well, all over the map. So many things seem to be up in the air right now. Sometimes it feels overwhelming to me. Having a 10-year-old means you have to try to explain natural disasters, food shortages, war, inflation, energy issues and presidential and world politics to someone with no knowledge base, but who is old enough to be thinking about these problems. You have to put away your flippant shorthand used between adults and try for real answers because this is a person to whom you feel an obligation not to offer pat, party-line (whichever one), Pollyanna answers, and yet you do not want to offer unvarnished truth so raw as to make her totally jaded and despondent. I'm always trying to find thoughtful and balanced ways to say humans are self-destructive animals, but chin up honey, we're capable of great things too. "Children are our future" offered up in song, speeches and slogans sounds a bit saccharine sometimes, but right now I'm putting my hopes on a girl who likes math and science, loves animals and wants to work to develop alternate energy sources.

Being around 6-yr-olds can help too. I went to Em's classroom to help make a quilt for her newly married teacher. The kids did a great job making their squares and it was so much fun to watch them color. I'll post more on that next time.

Another way I deal with news overload is gardening and being outdoors. I know this isn't revolutionary, but it works wonders for me. I'd never gardened until we bought this house, so I'm learning all the time. All that talk about "the garden teaches you what it needs" is pretty true. It's educated me to say no to the siren song of a some oh-so-pretty plants at the nursery. This spring there's been some dashing upon rocks and tossing into the compost heap, but overall things are taking root. This view is starting to please me:

Between the tree on the right, the shrubs in the middle and the just planted pepper trees and mallow on the slope (you can't really seen them yet) this whole fence line should disappear within 2-3 years. Not soon enough for me! One of my big goals with this garden is to blur all the edges. The bone dry rock-filled slope makes that a little more of a chore than just putting in some shrubs, but we're getting there.

There's now a bit of dappled sunlight to mark the afternoon. Finally! I adore trees and the lack of them this past two years has been challenging. A changing play of light through the day is a big deal to me, so mitigating the flat bright sun out there has been a priority.

 

The Pittosporum tenuifolium silver sheen are fantastic in the afternoon sun and photos can't do them justice. Like miniature aspens, it's the play of wind and light that make them sing. Right now they've grown to about 6', but they can go up to 15 feet. I like my neighbors a lot, but I think we'll both we happy when we can't see each other's houses!

 

My roses are doing pretty well after a scary start. We had two different record setting heat waves and the second one topped out at 98 F in my backyard! Newly budded plants don't like that and neither did I. It looks like one crape myrtle tree won't be blooming this summer because it sent out it's buds over that time and they got fried. Today it's overcast and in the chilly low 60's. I don't mind the delay of summer heat. Ever changing bouquets have started gracing the table. I generally take roses growing close to the ground, through the middle or on weak stems and I fill with whatever else is blooming, so my arrangements are a bit ... casual, but they do smell great.

This one is a day or three past prime, but the lamb's ear is proving itself useful. I swear it kept growing in the vase. There's a lot more going on in this one, but you really need 3D to see it all.

This is a no spray garden, so we've got birds, bees, butterflies and a world of insect life out there. Last year things weren't balanced yet, but so far this year we've not had a major infestation. I'm not an expert, but I've done a bit of research on plant mixing. The trick is creating a diverse enough eco-system and accepting the ebb and flow. Last year the bronze fennel was covered in caterpillars, wasps, bees and ladybugs.

This year those caterpillars brought a banner spring of hummingbird moths. Very cool.

They love the Cedros Island verbena out front. Our front yard is tiny, so we skipped grass completely. Our property is at the base of a hill and on a curve, so the house sits far forward on the lot. I don't mind because we have a good sized backyard relative to the neighborhood and I prefer to garden in my ratty clothes and without making small talk. There are drought tolerant, very low maintenance plants out here, so it only takes a few minutes a month to clean thing up. I'm loving the chartreuse euphorbia with the gray artemisia, red flax and purple verbena in the background.

Yesterday for Mother's Day we went out for burrito bowls at Chipotle, then a latte at Barnes and Noble and closed with a trip to Home Depot for irrigation supplies -- do I lead a romantic life or what? Came home and tried to sneak a nap. The defining moment? "Mom?" Closer "Mooom? Mom?" A little closer "MOOOMM?" Silence. Wait for it... Feel the breath from the small face two inches from my previously napping face ... "Mommy? Are you awake? Look, I made you a card!"

The best part was definitely a late afternoon family hike (with dog) up in the reserve behind us. It's a rocky climb, but one rewarded with ocean and lagoon views. And wildlife. We had a peaceful encounter with a full grown rattlesnake across our path and the girls were excited to tell everyone about it at school this morning. It certainly gets your adrenaline going, but the snake doesn't want you, so the trick is seeing them in time so you can back off. You stand still and the snake relaxes and slides away - everyone's happy. We even found a geocache after a bit of backtracking and much mumbling at the borrowed GPS from my husband. Having a goal certainly helps keep the kids engaged on a two hour hike. Sorry, no photos because we forgot the camera ... and a phone, which we both noticed after the snake meeting. Next time.

Let's see ... what else has kept me away from the PC? All the normal stuff, plus two different in-law visits, softball playoffs, home projects and this twin sized quilt. Almost done, but wrestling with the machine quilting takes a certain mindset and I haven't been in that place these past few weeks. Add the challenge of moving a 20lb orange mass and it's impossible.

Cats are masters of the pretend nap. "What? I can't hear you ..." But I must say he looks lovely on it.

 

Also, I've found a great local knitting group. I really enjoy blogging, but it's wonderful to sit in person and chat about fiber things. One kind and brave member opened her house for a dying session. Between all the Kool Aid and Mexican Agua Fresca powder in the air it was very fruity smelling for a while. Throw in margaritas and alcohol laced cupcakes (oh my) and fun was had by all. Everyone's yarn looked fantastic hanging out to dry on the patio umbrella, but yet again I forgot my camera. This is becoming an issue! Thankfully Kelie was on top of it. She even captured my henna-looking dyed hands (only two days to wear off). And no, not a spec of dye on my white shirt! Of course that's because it's a baggy old gardening shirt. Had I worn something I liked I would have looked like a drop cloth. When you pop over to Kelie's to look at those photos be sure to scroll down to see her FABULOUS Central Park Hoodie. The color, yarn, buttons, fit --- everything about it is absolutely perfect and I can tell you it looks even better on her in person.

Here are my KnitPick's lace fingerling weight hanks after drying. (Added later:  This yarn is Knit Picks Bare Sock Yarn, natural, 75% superwash/25% nylon, 462 yds/100 gs, $5.99. We ordered as a group, so I didn't have it locked in my mind) I started with Klass Agua Fresco flavors: Pina, Guayaba, Mango, Sandia, Jamaica, Melon and finally Tamerindo (kind of a brown yellow). I got mine at a Mexican grocery story over in San Marcos. Finished with an over-dye of Kool Aid Strawberry and Black Cherry. The Mexican flavors seem to have subtler shading -- less of the technicolor intensity of Kool Aid. Not bad or good, just differnt.

Now I have to figure out what to do with this. (Added later:  Maybe socks huh?) Hope to find some inspiration on a new Ravelry group Maria posted about. If you're on Ravelry and knit lace, check out Seasons of Lace, Summer 2008. A final bit of inspiration, go look at Maria's silk and bead lacework ... oh my! I can't wait to see where that goes.

Rowan Flora Quilt Finished!

Doing the finished quilt dance! Here's Flora just out of the wash. Drug-free mood enhancement in fabric form. We've got a heavy marine layer today, but this quilt's colors still glow in the gloom.

Yep, that's little black cat's tail disappearing under there. She's always such a help - knocked this off three times at least as I was trying to get it artfully draped. It got noticeably gloomier in just the few minutes I was taking photos, but I'm just so excited that I had to take pictures today.

The details...

Pieced in Oct 2007 and quilted and bound in April 2008. Approx 54" x 63".

Pattern:  Flora by Valori Wells
Fabric:  All Rowan except solids
Quilting Thread:  King Tut multicolored cotton color 922 (I LOVED working with this thread)

I must admit I liked it so much I was afraid to finish it. Then in a big jump, I decided this past week that I would learn to free-motion flowers on it and play with binding ideas. When I get brave it's always just-this-close to stupid.

Started safe by stitching in the ditch down each side of the narrow color lines. Almost stopped there, but knew I had to break out of my funk and conquer my fears. Thought a curving line with pansies down each patterned block line would look simple and fun. Because the narrow color strips are made up of blocks the same length, but the placement is staggered, they made an easy way to keep the pansies spaced evenly, yet appear randomly placed along the patterned blocks.

For the binding I fudged the "right" way, probably to the point of giving a classic quilter hives. I sewed the strips to the back, the turned them to the front and zigzagged it down. I use standard methods for joining the strips as well as for turning corners and joining the final edges, but I just don't care to hand sew the binding when this is just a fun throw quilt. Anyway - and this may be a massive rationalization - I like the playfulness of the multicolored zigzags.

Sometimes I went round and round inside a flower, sometime not. I kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I only practiced once or twice before getting bored and starting on the quilt, so I learned as I went. My darling eldest daughter comes by her bad habits naturally. Anyway, they're fun to make and as in nature, no two are alike.

 

Here's what the quilting looks like from the back:

Here's a larger view of the back. It's a Kaffe print I bought last year. I found it just after I'd pieced the whole top or it would have been on the front too. I love it on the back, but I was kind of bummed when I found it so soon after finishing the front because it's so perfect with the other prints. It probably would have been the lead fabric. Have to admit I considered ripping and splicing it in, but even I deemed that insane and put the seam ripper down and backed away.

We've lived here over two years, and all this time the kitchen table has been pushed to the side of the room and loaded with the PC, then the fish tank too. Of course it became the instant magnet for piles of crud (not the first word my fingers typed I admit). I'd gotten to the point of looking past that area, even though I walked through it every day. Funny how you can do that huh? Anyway, finally got a bookshelf for the fish tank and a small desk for the PC and voila, it's like a new room appeared! I even cleaned the fish tank (whoo hoo) -- with sparkling clean glass we found out that our fantail girls are fertile Myrtles.

For now the maps of the world and US are just tacked up because my DH has plans to install a wall-sized metal sheet as magnet board for the maps plus postcards, kid's artwork, etc. I think it will be cool, so I hope he gets time soon. When I was in my twenties a boyfriend and I house-sat for two UCSD profs who loved hiking. They had their entire kitchen nook wall covered in raised topo maps of the Sierra. We'd eat our cereal and plan hikes. I've wanted to do something like that ever since.

The girls are on Spring Break this past week and next so we all went to the Carlsbad Farmer's Market on Wednesday. We bought the best strawberries of the season so far and I let the girls pick three colors of gerbers. They choose well didn't they!

Now I LOVE my kitchen nook!

Seeing this quilt on the table makes me want to get started on a table runner and bench pads.

Soon...