Not So Fancy Nancy

Winter Oranges mini-quilt for swap

I finished my mini-quilt for Jean, my partner from the Flickr group Swap 'til you Drop. The theme was Sweet, Sour or Savory. 

 

Winter Oranges

14" square

Fabrics:
Kaffe Fasset
Loni Rossi
Michael Miller Fairy Frost Solids

King Tut variegated thread for quilting (90/14 quilting needle)

Overall I really like it. Love the colors and the swirliness of it all and I enjoyed combining photography, paint and quilting. Still very much in learning mode on the free-motion, but it's becoming more fun and less terrifying.

Particularly thrilled with how the stenciled blue/green swirls worked. After all the piecing was finished it just didn't sing for me. It needed that something extra, and the idea of painting came in that proverbial flash. Before I could talk myself out of it I grabbed a stencil, foam brush and acrylics and took the plunge. Nothing like paining on your finished top to make you feel like a tightrope walker without a net!

I had my doubts mid-stream, but it makes me happy. Here's what I like about the stenciling:

- Adds visual interest.
- Breaks the boundaries between the discrete areas - adds motion and improves eye tracking.
- Carries the green/aqua color around the composition.
- Frames and complements, but doesn't overwhelm the photo (a little maybe, but not disastrously).
- Offers compositionally meaningful and natural free-motion quilting lines.
- Grows organically out of the swirls in the two patterns on each side - not "tacked on".
- Strengthens the circle theme and adds curves.
- Texture of the pounced paint balances the smooth surfaces and loosens the vibe.

Took photos in afternoon sun that emphasize the quilting. The colors really are this vibrant in person. I just love orange!

I went a little too far with the stitching in places, but I'm pushing myself to be brave and get an intuitive feel for free motion. Quit while you're ahead is a logical attitude for a lot of things, but this isn't real life - it's play. For me, it's more exciting to take chances rather than stick with safe choices dictated by a fear of messing up. Yeah, I might regret the result, but I've decided not to dampen the impulse. That's one of my New Year's Resolutions. Think I should print a bumper sticker? Quilt like no one's watching. That would mess with people's heads in traffic!

 

Sweaters and Handmade Gifts for Me

Finally! My miserable creative funk is lifting. I really appriciate the emails and comments you've continued to send while I've been AWOL. Lots of positive changes in my life and I'll be sharing some of them here. For today, I'll fill you in on the very limited crafting since my last post.

Finally added buttons to Loppem! The fit in the shoulders and back is great with the pattern size 34, but I definitely recommend adding some kind of bust shaping if your bra measurement is 34-36 and over a C cup. It's perfect after being arranged just so, but this is what happens when I move around, and it gets even worse when carrying a purse. Just add a few stitches between the armhole and the cable band.

Sorry for the bad focus. The auto timer is handy, but then the auto focusing takes over. Loading this photo did make me really look at the side board and wonder why it was so cluttered ... oh yeah, the last vestiges of holiday rearranging. Most things got dumped in my art room. Considered renting a back hoe to excavate. Freed my sewing machine and found my desktop this past weekend. So happy to get my art room back!

This open front cardigan was flying along in mid-December. The pattern is the top-down Lion Neck Cardigan by Wendy Bernard from her book. Rowan RYC Alpaca Soft is not the spec'd yarn, but it is working to gauge. The alpaca/cotton boucle is indeed soft with a pretty good drape. No stretch though, so it's brutal on the hands.

Finished the body and did the endless ruffle before the sleeves, which I thought would inoculate it against the dreaded WIP flu. Yet, this is about where it was a month ago. Not fair really as it fits and I like it. Doesn't help my motivation that we've had the hottest Jan in over 20 years. Is that a collective moan I hear? Well, we do have nice winter weather here in San Diego, but I'm not a fan of 80-90 degree temps in Jan. I want rain and chilly temps for at least Dec-Feb so I can justify sweaters and quilts.

My creative energy may have been depleted, but my mail carrier certainly delivered cheer and inspiration. I am so lucky! Brenda sent me both this pillow and mini-quilt. The pillow uses the same fabric line of a quilt I've already got pieced, so I guess I'll HAVE to finish it next year so we'll have a set for the family room.

Her mini-quilt has such beautiful, elegant colors and will look great in our dining room next year. Thanks so much for sharing with me Brenda!

 Jean, my flickr Swap 'til You Drop partner, sent me this wonderful package:

The swap theme was Sweet, Sour or Savory and her coffee quilt is perfect for me. That cute little box had individual espresso packs and the cat is covering recipes and some lovely fat quarters.

It's such a fun and witty quilt. Thanks Jean! 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her crazy quilt stitch and bead work!

I watched that swap deadline fly toward me, then swoosh right past. Jean has been very understanding about what's been going on in my life, but I've left her hanging far too long and it's just not fair. Over the weekend I set myself to making her quilt before doing anything else. I'm almost finished, so I'll save that for another post and get back to quilting.

Happy New Year everyone.