Define/Dream/Ponder

Karen asked how I planned to quilt the silk piece I just painted. The answer is with lots and lots of tiny circles!

I am using mostly Superior Thread: Kimono Silk in Black Belt and White Rice, Rainbow in Salsa and Mango Mango and a Sulky Red. If you have not tried the Kimono Silk I highly recommend it as it can provide such subtle detail.

I have not made any New Year's resolutions yet....Having a hard time defining my goals for the year. Of course there are the obvious ones we have year after year (lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy...) but the ones for my creative life are requiring more thought so I am giving myself the next two weeks to define/dream/ponder my path for the year.

Struggle for Perfection

Here is my current work-in-progress (chalk lines and all). You last saw it a couple of weeks ago as it was being dyed and painted.

I have named it Struggle for Perfection Interrupted.

Green Cobblestones

Green Cobblestones is ready to ship. This is such a simple and satisfying quilt, great for a beginner or those with little time.

It is a log cabin block that is constructed with 9 strips each.  I like that the quilting pattern makes it look as though it is more complex than it really is.

Square Free Motion Quilting

Square-ish is more accurate.

This is a small commission project is modeled after my Deep Summer Shade quilt.  Same basic design but smaller, less blue and more brown. 

The first step was to design in EQ6 so we could agree on the size (via email).

The second step was to review fabric choices, construct quilt, straighten edges and add border.

The third step is to quilt and finish edges. I had originally intended to quilt nice and straight, 1/4" from the seam lines.  However, once up on the design wall, the quilt wanted to be quilted in a square-ish pattern.

The pattern reminds me of cobblestones.

You Are a Super Star in My Eyes

I have finished my kaleidoscope using Ricky Tims', Kool Kaleidoscope technique. Ricky will include 20 quilts in his upcoming book. While I don't have any delusions that my quilt will be in the book, it was a good opportunity to compete on a very non-threatening level. I learned a lot in the process.

The quilting on the background is free motion lines that radiate out from the star. I asked my husband if they looked like it was light radiating out from the star or if it looked like poor quilting. He assured me it looked like rays radiating out from the star but he forgot our anniversary last week so he my just be trying to make up for that!

Within the star, I mimicked the lines of the individual pieces of fabric. I wanted everything to support the focal point.

When it came time to name the quilt, I thought of my sister Sandy. She is a super mom, sister, puppet maker, Christian, daughter, wife and the most creative person that I know. Hey Sandy just to let you know, You Are a Super Star in My Eyes!!