More Trip Around the World

I love the fact that, in spite of the excessive heat in which I wither, my flowers continue to perservere and show their beautiful faces. This is my Purple Ice Plant... a flowering, succulent, perenial from South Africa. The petals open during the day and close at night. The foliage of this plant is so soft, I often kneel down and run my hands over it as I'm walking by.

When I completed the first Trip Around the World quilt

from Eleanor Burns' book, Quick Trip Quilts, it was so fast and easy that I decided to make two more. The one I'm working on now is purple, grey, teal, and pale blue.

Had to sneak in a picture of my gladiolas :)

Here is another Trip Around the World surrounded by Kaffe Fassett feathers.

 I have been very busy lately. I guess that's nothing new. I've been helping with the Shop Hop quilt, a collaborative effort between Johanna, Linda, Stella, and me. We're definitely making progress. 

Also, for all those homeschoolers, I've been assembling portfolios and preparing for the next academic year.

Oh, and planning my trip to Belgium next week???

for my son's wedding???

Am I excited?

Silk Tie Crazy Quilt

The Silk Tie Crazy Quilt is done!

I was chastised by a friend yesterday for not getting the back story on this quilt. I know almost nothing about who or what, I was simply asked to do it. 

Here are some of the blocks...

The walls in my studio are peach, so when I photograph in here the colors get weird. Hindsight, you know? I should have painted the walls cream or something more neutral. The reds in this quilt became more magenta. They are truly a deep red.

The colors in this photo seem more true.

And here is the finished top. Now, I was told that there needed to be a strip of 2" squares across the top and bottom. I believe that this is to be a  replica of another quilt.

Have a wonderful day!

The Anatomy of a Tie

I was recently asked by a friend to piece a silk tie crazy quilt top for her. I spent several hours over two days dissecting ties. I am now an expert on the anatomy of a tie. Having never worked with ties or silk before, I had a lot to learn. I was given two trash bags full of ties. One had a green piece of paper in it that read "First Choice." The second bag was to be used only if I needed more.

The process was actually an exciting walk around the world and through history. There were ties from so many different countries. Many of them depicted scenes from historic events or cultural icons. Everything from The Metropolitan Opera and Harley Davidson to Cirque du Soleil and The Phillies. There was even a tie covered with Jewish themes that included a picture of Chaim Potok's book, The Chosen. That might have been one of the best moments because it is one of my favorite books. Read it if you haven't already!

Some ties still had the price tag on them. After about the first five or so, I got on a roll. Taking them apart became an issue of muscle memory. I was also given 56 8" block foundations. Each block has 5 pieces. I began cutting. 

Silk is a funny fabric with a mind of its own. Some ties were very thick, and others were incredibly thin. The thinner the silk, the more it rebelled. It frays, it jiggles, it morphs....seriously doesn't like to be told what to do. However, my parenting skills kicked in, and I learned some tactics :)

So, as of right now, I only have 8 blocks done but will have 32 completed by the end of the day......UNLESS....some crazy something happens (which recently has been the norm) that totally interrupts the flow of my day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday. Happy Thursday!