Airing Dirty laundry...

and unfurling all my UFB's (un-finished blocks)

3 deep in spots
cotton scraps thumbing their noses at me ( just tips of the iceberg idea)
and my batiks scaring the crap out of me while waiting and begging to be cut up in this lifetime and take..
on the look of a long lost cousin before it

Now we're all caught up with what I've been (or not been) doin'. Scary 'aint it ???
BOOOOOOOO!!!!

Never Iron Velvet ??

Alittle more of the what if.... take a seam, crazy applique over it with ironed circles ?

Let a little straddling sun shine down on it ?

Lay a cut out motif over a seam ?

This What Iffing is not for the faint of heart.. First, not to let what others are doing influence the sense of your own process. Everyone is coming up with some great concepts of CQR and it's hard to not let it influence me. Second, I'm really stymied and its taking some deep thought to break the norm embedded in me. Theres still plenty of seams left for craziness though. This next "think phase" and the ideas evolving have lead to thoughts of another type of construction. What If I take some of that birch bark from the last post and put an if to that ????

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This would be Julys TIF that languished in my hand this weekend... shameful really, the progression of this one... the half way mark may well be July of '09. There really is no 1/2 way ideal to this one, not even from the beginning. Just the color palette. The half way may just have to come about from where the block will ultimately end up ???

This would be another pile to be dealt with today... and oh how it multiplies .The Sue Henry book, Murder at Five Finger Light is pretty good.The new Keepsake Quilting catalogue holds a great idea for a pattern that grabbed me and the never ending notes, drawings and magazine ripouts overfloweth. I'm also involved in reading the chapters of Deuteronomy and getting my head full of the fact that "Theres no new thing under the sun". A balm or a bane at this point in my life, Im not really sure.

Pieced... Now onto Embellishing...

Here's what I came up with using the fabric from the last post. (10" on finishing)

Some of these beads and buttons will probably find a place or two or three.

Threads up for consideration... ( and of course the colors not reading true to life)

Julys block is still staring me in the face, still being silent about itself and where it wants to go.

I'm working out some ideas in my head regarding this blog. I'm feeling kind of stale and repetitive with it and I'm hoping to change it up some, make it a tad more interesting... for you and me both. Change is in the air.... and balance has me thinking about it.

So much for cleaning out ... just move over alittle

When you're the picture taker in the family it ends up where there's not too many photos of yourself but I got Dan to take a couple today and finally have one put up on the sidebar. Out of the few he took this one seems to show what looks most like me.

I made a bit of a mess today organizing my inspiration boxes. The 2 plastic totes that I use for ideas, inspirations and color pallettes are being added to. One is for crazy quilting, the other for sane quilts. The CQ one has stitch ideas, templates, etc and holds a notebook of what I've collected regarding CQ history. The SQ box has fabric swatches, patterns, lists and notes. I want to fix up my creative journal with some of the things that are in these.

I partially blame my quilting friend Barb for this! Yesterday she gave me a couple of paper sacks full of what she was ridding herself of. Now I don't buy many magazines, Quilting Arts is my only subscription. So you can imagine the fun I've been having perusing, clipping and dreaming.

Yesterday when I went to Houghton/Hancock I was able to stop at a 2 stores. I had never been to the Salvation Army in Hancock and had the time to stop. I got a few Birds and Blooms magazines, 2 books and a great piece of lavender velvet to the tune of $2.00 Of course I had to stop at the Portage House quilt shop in Chassel and found 5 flannel FQ's in a purple toned outdoor theme. ( and I'm supposed to getting organized and pared down, LOL)

My sister sent me home with these books so it looks like I have more than enough reading material to get me through these last couple months of winter.

I've been seeing a fabric designed by Mark Lipinski called Katmandu. It's a printed fabric to be stitched on. Over on JK's blog you can see what shes done with it. Looks like it might be fun!

With any luck I'll have a journal pic to show next time. Till then..... Jane

Signs in the Sky & Some Fabric Organizing (again)

We just took a ride in the woods and by the camp of a friend, I looked up and saw these contrails in the sun. Looks like the symbols of love with the O & X. Yes it is a love-ly kind of day here, clear and warm.

I put together this shelf and pulled out the majority of my fabric. I need some visual stimuli and thought of no better way than looking at color. I have mostly batiks and the bottom shelf is velvets and soft fabrics.

I saw this quilt over on Caroles blog and would really love to make one similar to it.

I also took the fancy scraps and organized them. The larger pieces of "silkies" in the oblong basket, the muslin and interfacing, the brocades and tulles bagged separate. All fits nicley in the cedar chest.

I 've really been putting off this chore, St Vinnies here I come. This photo doesn't look as bad as it is, but IT IS. The builder needs to install our closet doors and he can't until I address this.Do you see the white bag? Those are scrubs to wash and hang. Now that I've shared it, I have to fix it!

I am trying to get things buttoned up before the job. I went for X rays and lab work Friday, this Monday finger printing, Thursday a Physical. I won't celebrate until I punch the time clock for the first time. This employment process has taken longer than any other job I've ever applied to before.

We had lots of friends stopping by yesterday. Despite the snow on the ground, it was warm and clear. Cabin Fever was banished if only for the weekend. Karl, (left) Charlie & Roxy.

I can't tell you when the last time was that we had seen anything resembling a shadow and we're tired of bundling up like Michelin men !

Dan made meatballs and if you came by, you got some. They were yummy. My husband is a great cook and he enjoys it. Lucky me, huh? I think if you click on the recipe it will get large enough for you to copy it. I highly recommend this Schulers version.

Felon, our dog, and Karls Luke, ( the new baby on the block ) had a blast playing in the snow. There was never a dull moment yesterday as they rookused together.

On animals, this is a photo I took last week of the deer herd that comes to eat daily.. The top count at one time was 19 but on the average we get 10.

We got them a couple bails of clover hay to enhance their corn diet & they love it as you can see.

Although dark, here is a close up of a resident chickadee on the suet hanger. All the animals have kept us entertained this winter.

I'm thinking this has my blogging caught up, so till the next time,

Jane