Works in Progress

The holidays were absolutely crazy and wonderful. I was blessed to have all of my eleven children here. One day a year, they gather from all over to globe to celebrate being a family. We have named this day 

"Yay Day." This year, it took place on December 28th.

It was filled with reconnecting, spectacular food, games and skits, lots of laughter, and of course...

raspberry Lambic.

Now it is time to recover :)

I uploaded photos on Wednesday in hopes of creating a first ever "Work in Progress Wednesday" post. Well, that never happened. 

I have finally started embellishing the first Autumn Project block that I received.

I chose the second color grouping for the Jinny Beyer quilt. It took me a while, but I think I'm happy with it. I don't think I'll know for sure until I see the first block completed. That is often the way it is.

Finally, I have created my first set of blocks for the CQJP 2013. My thoughts are still rather up in the air. My tentative plan is to embellish the eight outer blocks and then do some bead work in the center block. As I look at this preliminary layout, I think the border fabric is way too busy, however, there is so much time between these humble beginnings and the time when these blocks will be ready to be assembled. I'll wait and see how this journey progresses.

I hope your celebrations were joyous and peaceful!

Happy New Year!!

The winner is.....

Between the Studio Tour and choosing a winner for the Quilt Raffle, I have been busy completing holiday orders. I had a lot of fun making several mini placemats for small children...

and several mug rugs.

Then the day finally came. 

Shortly after arriving at Denis and Judy's home, I was asked to sit down and draw the winning ticket.

The lucky winner: Jean Spackman Hall of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania!

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise $2, 475.00 for the Walking with Nathaniel Fund.

What a blessing!

The drawing was followed by a lovely celebratory dinner with the Asselins, Sara Hodgson, and Barry Halkin.

I have been deeply moved by this journey. We have all learned much about the scope of the heart. Thank you all again, and have a wonderful holiday season filled with

peace and love.

Ah...December

So December is here, and I am already reflecting on many things: 

all that has transpired this year, how I want to do things differently next year,

and those dreaded New Year's resolutions that I am so tempted to make

even though they slip away so easily.

I'm absolutely sure that I have more unfinished projects now than I did at this time last year despite my resolution to do the opposite. Before the end of this year, hopefully before the holiday crazies set in,

I am going to finish this quilt. 

Great earthy Kaffe fabrics and wonderful dark chocolate paisley background.

I've already planned some projects for next year.

I am participating in the CQJP 2013.

This is the set of fabric I picked for the first few blocks. I really like choosing at least one

fabric with a bold design that I can mimic in my stitching. This palette is 

cheerful and will brighten up the coming cold winter days.

                       A dear friend and I, although we live on opposite sides of the ocean, have decided to each 
                                                                             make this quilt in 2013.

I think I have finally landed on my first color palette. As of this moment, I have

absolutely no idea what my second one will be...

any ideas?

Feel free to chime in.

Don't forget that there is only a week and a half before we draw the winner of the quilt donated to raise money for BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) research. 

Because this is a very personal issue for me, it is not so much about the quilt but about raising money to help find a desperately needed  cure. Nathaniel was diagnosed at age eleven and took his own life in his early twenties.

"Phillips & Menard (2006) found the completed-suicide rate in patients with BDD to be 45 times higher than that of the general United States population. This rate is more than double that of those with clinical depression and three times as high as that of those with bipolar disorder. Suicidal ideation is also found in around 80% of people with BDD." 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder

I can't even begin, not even for a second, to conceive of the pain of losing a child, let alone the pain that Nathaniel endured during his short life. I continue to hope that people's hearts will be moved to donate at

http://walkingwithnathaniel.org/

You can see more pictures of the quilt here...

http://spillingenergy.blogspot.com/2012/11/quilt-raffle.html

I am so very grateful to all who have supported my endeavors to help!

Sandy and the Studio Tour...

This Friday, I will be participating in the Haverford Guild of Craftsmen Studio Tour. Over the weekend, thirty-two artists will come together in six studios to share their work with the community. It is a wonderful time to meet new people from the area, have a glass of wine or mulled apple cider, and maybe a few cookies....

not to mention the holiday shopping!

In the midst of all the preparations, a friend sent me information about a group of people who had organized a block drive for quilts to be donated to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Information can be found here if you would would like to get involved.

The need is still great!

http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/sandy-quilt-block-drive/

There are many quilt drives out there for Sandy victims. This particular one involves making Wonky Log Cabin blocks, as many as you can, and sending them to team leaders who find others to assemble, quilt, and ship to distribution centers.The blocks are easy to put together, and it is a wonderful way to use up your scraps and help others in the process.

So, after I sent out twelve blocks, I finished binding all my quilts, cleaned them, and packed them up for the Studio Tour.

I will be at

18 Colfax Road, Havertown, PA

Friday through Sunday :)

Finally, please don't forget the Walking For Nathaniel Quilt Raffle! Winner is chosen on December 18th. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to BDD research at the International OCD Foundation in Boston, MA.

See the quilt here:  

http://spillingenergy.blogspot.com/2012/11/quilt-raffle.html

Donate here:

http://walkingwithnathaniel.org/

Thanks you so much!

CQJP 2013

I was discussing with a friend the other day why I enjoy the Block Swap Adventure. After a bit of thought, I decided this...Everyday in my studio, I make choices about design and color. No one else participates in these decisions. When I get a swap partner each month, I am given guidelines: what pattern to sew and what colors my partner prefers. So, then, it is all about creating something within those boundaries that I believe my partner will enjoy. I like this challenge.

This month, Nancy requested ANY block pattern in grays and yellows.

It didn't take much coaxing for a friend of mine to convince me to participate in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013.

Actually, it took about as long as it took me to go to the site and read the rules :)

So, one block a month for 2013, 6" or bigger, and it doesn't have to be square.

I have already chosen two possible color schemes for the blocks I will construct and have some "crazy" ideas about venturing into something I've never done before.

Stay tuned!

Also, please don't forget the Quilt Raffle! The winner will be chosen on December 18th.

Tickets can be purchased 

HERE.

Quilt Raffle

QUILT RAFFLE

100% cotton Marcia Derse fabric from her "Line 5" collection

Twin quilt 66" x 95"

Machine quilted by The Meandering Fox

The Story

Denis and Judy Asselin have been friends of our family for over 15 years. Their son, Nathaniel, at age 11, was diagnosed with BDD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

For more than half of his life, Nathaniel struggled with a brain disorder that made almost every day a test of his strength, courage and stamina. He fought valiantly to circumvent the illness, keeping it hidden  from most people. Nathaniel took his own life at age 24.

The story of Denis and Judy's struggle to heal can be found 

here.

I have donated this quilt in order to raise awareness of BDD and to generate funds for desperately needed research. By finding better treatment, we can offer to others the hope that Nathaniel needed and so richly deserved.

What You Can Do

1. Donate by purchasing a raffle ticket HERE .

2. Please share this site on your blog:   http://walkingwithnathaniel.org/

3. Consider an email blast encouraging all of your friends and family to donate just $5.00
4. Post a link on your Facebook :)

The winner of the quilt will be drawn on December 18th, 2012 and will be notified by email.

100% of the proceeds will go to BDD awareness and research administered by the International OCD Foundation in Boston, MA !

Many Many Thanks!

Hurricane Sandy

For me, Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, but, for so many, the effects will linger for a long time. The coast was hit hard, and the stats are pretty bad. I lost no power, and the only reminder of all the water is the large puddle in my backyard. This actually makes my River Birch very happy.

All day yesterday, I sat at my sewing machine working, listening to the increasing winds and rain, wondering when the power would go off. We were all prepared with candles and flashlights. The lights flickered on and off several times. We were convinced it was inevitable. We were very fortunate.

For the Autumn Color Project 2012, Tatyana from England had dyed so much fabric....enough to construct several blocks. So Masha, the lovely woman who put this project together, asked me to make some more blocks with the fabric, lace, and motifs that I had left.

So, yesterday, I put together three more blocks and STILL have fabric, lace, and motifs left over!

This week, all the blocks will be off to other parts of the world to be embellished.

My thoughts go out to all those affected by the hurricane...

The rebuilding begins...

Penrose Tiling and more Autumn 2012

This afternoon, I will be facilitating the exploration of math and science in art with a group of 12-14 year old children at Open Connections in Newtown Square. 

I have enjoyed, from time to time, creating works using Penrose tiling. The canvas I will be using today as an example is called "Estella", named after a character in Kristy Kiernan's book, Catching Genius.

After a short introduction to Sir Roger Penrose, British mathematical physicist, recreational mathematician, and philosopher, I will help the children create their own 12" x 12" canvas.

Using my fractals, I created a set of Penrose's darts and kites for each child and packaged them with a dart and kite template.

Below is a canvas I began to show them the process of the tiling and the application of the paper darts and kites to the canvas.

My daughter happens to be in this class, so I hope that I don't embarrass her totally :)

Yay! I received another kit from Masha in Russia for the Autumn Color 2012 Project. This picture does not do justice to the absolutely beautiful work she did dying her fabric.

From this, I needed to construct a block that will be sent to Natalia in Russia.

After choosing some of my own fabrics, this is what I came up with. Can't wait to see how Natalia embellishes this !

Well, off to Open Connections. Have a great day!!!

Autumn Color 2012 - Phase 2

The Autumn Color 2012 Project is well under way. Each participant dyed their own fabric, lace, 

and motif and sent their kits out. I received my first kit from Tatyana in England. I was 

under the impression that we were to send two pieces of fabric, two pieces of lace, 

and one motif.....and this is what I received.

Enough materials to make at least four blocks!

With each kit I receive, I am to construct a 7" crazy quilt block and send it to another person on the list. The following form accompanies each package so that, in the end, each of us will know who did the dying, who constructed the block, and who did the embellishing.

Here is the block I constructed from Tatyana's materials that will now be sent to 

Liudmila in the Republic of Moldova.

Such fun!!!

Oh! Crazy love....

Maybe it's silly, but when I look at this quilt top, I hear Van Morrison singing Crazy Love. 

How could I not give it that name?

So, here is the Crazy Love quilt.

Feels fitting...I love color, I love Kaffe fabrics, I love my crazy life, and it all makes me smile.

Well, some good things you have to wait for. This quilt top began in the fall of 2011 and is now done.

I named it "Holding the World."

And......I finished stitching my 3rd crazy quilt block! My dear friend, Masha, and I swapped blocks and stitched for each other. She sent me the block, thread, and beads....and the rest was up to me. I had so much fun with this. The colors brought constant cheer to me.

Enjoy, Masha :) It will be in the mail on Monday wrapped in love and

best wishes.

Here is the lovely block that Masha stitched for me.

A deeply felt thank you....

Did I hear Kaffe??

Seriously, whenever I hear the name Kaffe, I smile. 

Why? 

Because his fabric designs simply make me happy. The graphics are bold, and the colors are saturated. Just love them!!!

I'm working with 16 different fabrics from Kaffe Fassett's fall 2012 collection.

Lucky me :)

Here's my October block for the Block Swap Adventure...

and...

I finally finished my second crazy quilt block. Because I'm such a newbie at this, a block feels like it takes me forever. I think when I have learned a lot more stitches and the design elements flow more freely, I won't be so slow. However, I have the rest of my life to work on it.

Thankful for every moment I can spend with fabric and thread...

Long time comin'

I began this quilt in May, writing my first blog post about it on the 17th. 

Today, September 26, the top is finished!

I don't have a whole lot to say about it, the process, or the result. 

I am simply so glad that it is done.

"As swiftly as the world is changing,
like racing clouds,
all that is finished
falls home to the ancient source."
                                Rilke