One Pink String

It is a beautiful Sunday morning as I write this. I love morning light. And this morning it was especially ethereal and was enough to make up for any other dreary day...EVER!

I have been steadily working away at purging and disposing of 'stuff', and yesterday was a big shred day. I only opened one file cabinet drawer and pulled out files that were last opened in 1999. Time to go! Not the least of which was the health file for Miss Kitty, who crossed the rainbow bridge 10 years ago.

I have put the binding on my Good Samaritan quilt. Lady, pattern by Villa Rosa Design, shown here in flimsy to finished. I love the backing fabric and was able to salvage enough and piece it together for the binding, with just a scrap strip leftover that has gone into the yellow scrap strings bin.

I have got my RSC2018 pink and rose scrap strings reduction started and made this one happy scrappy string block.

If you wish to catch up on other pink scrappy happiness, please check out SoScrappy and Quilting is more fun than Housework.

love and hugs
Kathy

Yellow Week II

Scrap sewing this week has been all about yellows and golds. Such a favourite to brighten my day. I have completed my three Squared Away blocks for the RSC2018 quilt.

It has also been a week of great sorrow. Sixteen people, players, coaches and support staff, were killed in northeast Saskatchewan, when their Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus collided with a semi-trailer truck. It has brought out nation to our knees in solidarity and support. The call went out for comfort quilts, using the Take 5 pattern, and their team colours...green and gold. Following the #homboldtstrong tag, there has been ever iteration of that pattern submitted. Mine is not exception.

The completed quilt top will be graciously long arm quilted by Kim Caskey Custom Quilting. I will post pictures, perhaps when it is done next week.

On Friday I attended a very exciting class, Colour Class 1, taught by the brilliant colourist Wanda Cracknell. So many mind stretching exercises using our 3 in 1 Color Tool and Joen Wolfrom's Color Play.

This week I put the call out to my "Friends in White Satin" for scraps for a special project. My youngest daughter is getting married in August and has asked for a jeweled bridal bouquet. (there are 100s of images on the web if you want to check what others might look like) Because it has to built on a styrofoam ball, I want to cover it completely with white satin, yo-yos in particular. To this I will be adding costume jewelry: rhinestones and faux pearls to achieve a lustrous arrangement. I will post pictures as we move to completion.

To catch up with all of the other yellow scrappy happiness, please check out SoScrappy.

with love and hugs
Kathy

Grateful for Yellow

A few years ago while out for a Mother's Day brunch with my family we saw a beautiful commercial art piece with a strong yellow background and bright red poppies. I mentioned to my grandson (then 11) that I thought it would make a great idea for a quilt. His response was..."what about copyright Grandma?" I did get permission from the cafe owner to use their painting for design inspiration of this quilt.

I am making my  background from a stack of yellow string blocks, framed left and bottom with pale orange.

The poppies are cut from red string blocks, with many more poppies to add. I first drew my desired poppy onto steam a seam, cut the poppy apart, then placed the strategically over the string block to capture different textures.

I will use the same process for the leaves. Shown here are some of the variety of green string blocks that I have to choose from.

This is a work in progress and I am looking forward to completion.

I am sharing this on SoScrappy along with others who are basking in their yellow scraps.superscrappy.blogspot.ca

Love and hugs
Kathy

Yellow = Sunshine = Happiness

I have so enjoyed working with my yellow string blocks (as leaders and enders) this week as I move toward the finish line with RRCB.

This Roll Roll Cotton Boll is so close to being a quilt top. You have to love a pattern whose first call to action is to make 600 hst's. These are now sewn into the surround for each of the 30 center blocks. 

And all of the string blocks are made, and setting triangles (this pattern is set on point) also set aside.

Sunday I will be having a Sew-What-Ever day with my bee-group. It could be a quilt top by 5 pm.

But all the whilst I was doing that I would nip in and out of my yellow scraps to complete the two RSC15 scrap blocks, Air Castle and Monkey Wrench. I realize that the Monkey Wrench/Sawtooth Points are made with the luscious Michael Miller Dots...which I have had a complete collection of in every colour for how many years...and what was I planning to do with this whole bin of loveliness? So it is not exactly a scrap, but it is time to cut it up and get into quilts that my family and I can enjoy.

As well as my two RSC15 blocks, there are also the two 16 patch/Sawtooth Stars ready and waiting.

I have linked up with other yellow happiness over at SoScrappy.

Love and hugs
Kathy

Yellow as Light as 'Air' Castle

March has to be the happiest month for me so far this year...because its all about YELLOW. I have started out with a 16 patch to go with another that I had sew-ahead on in January. Just so bright and lovely and I love it.

To that I have added my "Light as Air" Castle. I love this block!!

All the while I am working on my RRCB there are scrappy string blocks rolling through the machine. Honestly where do all these strings come from?

I took Saturday off to attend a Graphic's 45 (it is a scrapbooking line) class. The intention of the class is to develop stunning two page layouts that we (the students) would then take home and fill with our own photos. I did one of these in 2013 for my son and DIL of them and their family. It is one of the most awesome gifts I have ever given and it was a huge hit. This year I propose to do two albums simultaneously, for youngest son again, and also my youngest daughter and her family. I cannot show you the finished pages...remember...they're Christmas presents. But what I can show you is what I did with the left over bits. I created two "Project Life" pages for someone else. Those doing the RSC2015 will not even the scrapbookers are onto the colours of the month!!

But now today it is back to grocery shopping, preparing lunches for the coming week and some more studio time this evening.

On the design wall this month is a wall-hanging top made by my dear late friend Lou Punko.  Lou was a founding member of my quilt bee group - The Group of 7. Each of us was given one of her tops to complete, and then to display at our up coming Festival of Quilts in June 2015. I am in the thoughtful stage. How to quilt? How to embellish? Inspiration will have to turn into action soon.

I am linking up to SoScrappy's linky party for more of the most fabulous colour EVER.

love and hugs
Kathy

Finding Inspiration in Yellow

I recently saw a picture of an Italian lemon stand submitted by Mark Lipinski on Facebook.This photo inspires me on many levels...to make a monochramitc lemon/yellow/dusty pale orange quilt. And also inspired to travel to Italy and find a lemon stand of my own.

I have a fondness for yellow myself. My mom always called me her Golden Girl, perhaps because I wear yellow so well, or she held out hope that I would perform well in an Olympic sport (sorry to dissappoint on that front).

There would be a challenge in making a yellow quilt, as some self-appointed quilt police, say that yellow should be used very sparingly in a quilt.  I loved making the yellow slab blocks for our Alberta June Monsoon Relief Quilt. and the yellow sprouts also found in the same post.

The more I mull this over, the more I want to get into my studio and pull out every piece of yellow I have and rev up the Bernina and see where it takes me.

love and hugs
Kathy