More ribbons!

A friend's daughter is getting married this summer at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. So, my friend decided to decorate this "cavernous room" with quilts. She planned to create quilts for two sets of grandparents, two sets of parents, and other relatives, all king size. I actually forget how many quilts in all in this crazy undertaking. The bride has no idea that this taking place behind the scenes. It will be a complete surprise!

This past Tuesday, several woman got together at the Cloth and Bobbin to help this process along. One was ironing, one or two were cutting, and several were sewing. My friend has taken one of my paper-piecing classes and had made a yellow and blue star. She pulled it out and said, "I'd like to do something with this." Well I had been aching to do another ribbon quilt and she had a stack of fabric to go with the star, so I came home with this...

and started making ribbon panels. This is how far I've gotten. I'm not sure what the draw is to these quilts, but the process is quite meditative. The sewing part requires little thought....just long, endless, straight lines.

I managed to complete another set of blocks for the Reflections quilt. I now have 48 blocks...one set of 16 to go. Then I can begin to assemble it. Very excited!

What is it about a kitchen?

Since 1981, we have occupied seven homes. In every single one, if the kitchen was in bad shape and we could afford it, we renovated it. The children and I were talking the other day about this. The kitchen is and has always been the center of our home life. It is where we explore cuisines, share our troubles, joys, and successes, enjoy a good bottle of wine, and talk about our past, present, and futures. It has been a place of laughter and tears, food and water fights, canning and science experiments, welcoming babies and friends...and a place of creativity. Most of all, it is a place of memories.

We probably all have memories of favorite foods growing up. My fondest is apricot bars that my grandmother made at Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a very young girl, I remember being at her home for holidays. Everyone was socializing in the living room. I was in the dining room stealing apricot bars off the cookie platter and carefully rearranging everything so no one would notice.

One of many of my children's fondest memories of favorite food is sticky buns. Of course, this came up in the conversation. So this morning, I began to help them recollect. It had been a while.

Last night was the final Ribbon Quilt class. I forgot the cord to my machine, so I spent the evening cutting out pieces for a paper-pieced star and thoroughly enjoying what the other women had accomplished. First to share was Ann. After hanging her pieces on a design wall, there was an explosion of color and design.

Most of the ladies were either still constructing ribbons or beginning to decide how they wanted to pull everything together. Here is Beth's work...

Jorja's colors were so soothing and earthy. I can't wait to see what this becomes.

And finally, Mindy's ribbons. She had completed quite a lot of ribbons in both the warm and cool color families. She was thinking that she might even have enough for two separate projects. We all agreed to get together in a month or so and share our finished projects. That will be so exciting!

Well, the sticky buns were done, the children were anxiously waiting for them to cool off, so I went upstairs to contemplate my ribbon quilt.

I tend to dream about projects I'm working on. Do you? Often, I see the finished piece before I even start. I have learned that it pays off to follow these dream leads. I'm sure my head was just swimming with stripes after sewing ribbons for two weeks. Then I dreamed about stars and stripes and thought I would incorporate a star into my quilt. So, I sewed the star together, decided I liked the feel, and got out my trusty seam ripper. I separated the two halves of the quilt and will set the star in the middle. Here's what I have so far.

So those sticky buns????? This is what I discovered three hours later! Now they're only a memory.

Color...

Artist Marc Chagall said that "all colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites." At class last Wednesday, I was struck by the amazing diversity of color, hue, and pattern chosen by the women present....and the extraordinary and seemingly endless combinations that can be made from these with magnificent results. Colors are our greatest tools.

For those of us who sew, it could be argued that the seam ripper comes in at a close second. A friend of mine was teaching a beginner sewing class. A student made a mistake. Here was the perfect opportunity to teach the class about the seam ripper. I tried to remember when I first learned about this fabulous tool. I decided that I probably had one with my first rattle.

With all of my ribbons finally done....

I was ready to begin constructing my quilt. Enter the seam ripper! Yes, I did think it would be a breeze to cut strips and sew them together. Not so. I think I used my seam ripper more the other day than I have in several months. Nevertheless, at the end of a long day, this is where I ended. Who knows where I'll go from here. I do know that I have a lot of ribbon fabric left. I woke up the other morning thinking of "stars and stripes" so maybe I'll use up the rest and incorporate some stars into another wall hanging......maybe...

When I made blocks out of the Amy Butler fabric, I had 34 solid blocks and 36 nine-patch blocks. This quilt only used 24, so I can make another bed quilt and a baby quilt.

The past few days have been great for staying in and sewing, my windows revealing only damp gray clouds. Today, streams of sunlight are saturating my studio. It feels like a cleaning day...

Resolutions...

We've all made resolutions for one New Year or another in our life...maybe most of them! We get off to a great start, and then what happens? One day, we wake up, and our best intentions are a distant memory. Then comes the guilt, the negative self-talk, and the embarrassment. Maybe we try again; maybe we give up. The truth about the success rate of resolutions haunts me a bit these days. I'm only two weeks in and wondering when I'm going to fizzle.

Yesterday, I was sitting with my brother telling him about my commitment to finish projects this year, and he said, "So really, how many projects do you have?" I paused, did a split-second inventory, and was horrified at the realization that a year is not even close to enough time to finish it all. All I could do was laugh.

Now, I think I need to tell you how I define unfinished:

1. I have several quilts blocks or part of a canvas already done.

2. I have a quilt pattern that I purchased but have never opened it. In my stash, I probably have everything I need to complete it. (I have a slew of these)

3. I had a idea, I purchased all of the fabric, and it's sitting in my closet.

4. The quilt top is done and has never been quilted.

When I broaden my definition to include projects I have but have never started, I see the really big picture. I could stay busy for years and only have to buy thread, needles, batting, and backing for quilts....maybe some Gesso and glue for my canvases.

I have 11 1/2 months to go for this resolution.....and I'm ready!

I finished the Paintstik pillow in time for the demonstration at Cloth and Bobbin yesterday. It was a lot of fun....

and I finished the second transparency quilt top!

Now, every once in a while, I need to take a class to keep my creative energy challenged. The class is called "Ribbon Quilts: Color and Fabric Fusion." My teacher is Sarah Bond, and the class is based on the work of Quilt Artist Nancy Crow. The class involves "making fabrics" by strip piecing solid and patterned fabrics using gradations of color, value, and size. After the pieced fabric constructions are finished, we will cut them and reconstruct them to make a final composition. Here is what I have so far. I am having a blast!