Catching up is hard to do

Hello Again
I seems like a long time since I checked in added what's been happening in my studio and life. In August I was consumed by the making of these fancy pants four patches...you know that will be the end name of this quilt. My dilemma here is what to use for the sashing, while the objective is to sew up my stash...I am leaning to red and not either the grey (too wimpy) and the Barcelona border Jenny Beyers is too...old.

While I was playing with 4 patches, I was neglecting my Indigo RSC15 blocks, but I am happy to report now that they are done!

The background material for all three of these blocks was a indigo shibori class sample that my friend Lou Punko had in her estate sale. The bright blue shibori used in the Road to California block was a cotton hankie my friend Gerda DeVries brought back from her bicycle tour/visit to Japan in 2014.

The Sawtooth Star points of the Bull's Eye block was a another gift. This one from Marilyn Shinyei, started as a shibori place mat, another gift from Japan while she had been visiting her daughter there. The dark indigo of the Bull's Eye block is a scrap of raw silk from a kimono that was in my collection...gathered from where I do not recall.












Mr. Roosevelt's Bow Tie  and Sawtooth Star points were made of another indigo shibori scrap that came from Lou as well. I really love how this block turned out.

In August I also took Kim Caskey's Bird of Wisdom (JOY) class at  Earthly Goods. The technique learned here was lino cutting. I chose to use for my background a ''charity shop" embroidered table scarf. I used the same indigo silk kimono scrap here as my colour base. I loved the way this little technique's quilt turned out.

I made a few 16 patch centres which are for THAT other quilt that is being made simultaneously to the RSC15.

I did make the three ORANGE 16 patch in a Sawtooth Star. I love these orange beauties.

I have started a stack of orange string blocks as well, as there appear to be a lot of orange strings & strips etc that are calling to be dealt with.

I will get as caught up as possible before I head off to Scotland on Sept 21 with Celtic Quilt Tours. There shall be 12 days of making merry and mayhem in bonny Scotland. We will visit castles, patchwork shops, hunt for the Loch Ness Monster, take a quilt class from Ann Hill, visit a distillery and sew on and sew on. Their itinerary for Ireland 2016 is also posted on their website. You should come too.

While you think about that you should check out the other orange scrappy happiness at SoScrappy.

Love and hugs
Kathy

Coming together

I am working away on assembling the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Blocks (8...count'em with 17 to go). To echo what many have said, if you had showed me this pattern ahead of time, I would have said...ummm no thanks. But breaking it down to the 5 steps (sometimes quite involved) this quilt got done. And it is full of wonderful colours that one of my beautiful granddaughters is going to just love.

Also over my Christmas break I participated in a 4 day mystery class at LQS Earthly Goods in Edmonton. I chose a quiet palette of yellows and wonderful array of grey with a dash of heavenly pinks.  I don't have a full on shot of the whole quilt (yet), but here are some of the parts and pieces. It has been agreed by all that have seen it that it is a beauty.

You will note that there I am drawing lines on the back of the 3 3/8" squares. This is so counter-productive to the using of the efficient Easy Angle Ruler it was almost painful. If I ever did make this quilt again, that is one of the things I would definitely change. But because we had to do all of our cutting ahead of time, I was obliged to play nice in the sandbox with all others in the class.

I look forward to this quilt being finished and presented to my daughter Cynthia. I love how the pink in some of the fabrics just warm up the whole palette. I made this quilt to be two rows larger than was called for and I am so glad that I did.

I have chosen a brushed dark grey for the backing and will be dropping all that off for my LAQ Kim Caskey to work her magic on it.

Wishing you all good health, full bobbins and prosperity in the coming year.

Love and Hugs...Kathy