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playing catch-up

Posted by on Jun 11, 2011 in art, blog, freebies, sew + quilt |

seventeen quilts in ten days

Playing a little catch-up… First, a peek at that monster sewing project I mentioned. It involved seventeen quilts. In ten days. Start to finish. And if that weren’t challenge enough, the fabrics were a wonderful mish-mash of randomness. Seventeen women chose a fabric, not knowing what any of the others had chosen. These fabrics were then assembled, each quilt different and unique, to symbolize what a strong sisterhood we make despite our differences.

seventeen quilts of mismatched fabrics

Now that the project is complete I can forget about the agony of this challenge and instead focus on the powerful and amazing result — and it was indeed powerful and amazing. When I first glimpsed that stack of fabrics I was a little nervous, wondering what on earth I could do with them that might resemble harmony. But somehow, the pieces came together like magic, bit by little bit, one alongside another, until they sang a perfect song of balance in a way I never thought could be. I don’t have a slew of super-awesome photos like the project deserves because it was dreary and rained buckets every single day in May here, and they were gone before the sun had a chance to shine, but still, it was extraordinary and inspiring. Once they were finished. Whew!

pile of mail art from the love letter files

Second, let’s talk winners, because I never posted them for the post art giveaway. Tell me you love me anyway. (I will hold giveaways and you won’t mind *too* much when I am slow to post the winners. That is our deal, m’kay?) Post mail packages have been sent to:

Alecia who says:

“These are TOO good.”

and

Karina who says:

“These are just amazing – so colorful – they just make me happy. That’s one fancy postcard back – love it. Would be thrilled to have some of these beauties (just completed a photo postcard swap – so fun to give and share).”

And finally, a few things from around the web.

All things artsyville are gorgeous. This happens to be my current favorite.

Are you joining Daisy Yellow’s index card party? We are. Fast. Easy. Love.

I’m dying to get a good look at this book.

And if I could find money to spend I would spend it here.

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notes from the trenches

Posted by on May 10, 2011 in blog, sew + quilt | 5 comments

trenches

I won’t have time for a proper post for a few days… This is what my dining room looks like right now, complete with year-end test texts,  piled-high school totes, no less than sixty yards of fabric, the awesome Husqvarna workhorse, two irons (gratefully, the $10 dorm-room iron is home because because my $150 Rowenta seems to be not working!), Mother’s Day roses in the window (nine white roses + one red = nine littles and my love), fading daffodils on the counter, undone dishes, an unswept floor, and cold tea. We’re having a week here.

trenches-fabric-stack

I have a monster sewing project of the can’t-yet-share variety that is holding me hostage this week. It is my task, my goal, to create something beautiful from this stack of nineteen wildly disparate fabrics. Is that High School Musical fabric you see there? Why yes, yes it is. Alongside a G.I. Joe camo print, some nice repro florals, a pink zebra stripe and some Amy Butler. It’s quite a collection. And the project, only just started, needs to be finished this week in order to make a deadline that was pushed up a month. In addition, we have senior pictures to take, year end recitals to attend, animals and seedlings needing an extra burst of springtime attention, and I want to fit in a trip to Quilt Market (not as a vendor, but as a helper) to gawk at all the celebrities new patterns and fabrics.

baby makes cupcakes

In the midst of all the distraction, work, and — ahem — less-than-attentive mothering, I came upon this: Julia was hungry so she decided to make cupcakes. Is it bad that I saw this and let it continue? It was making her happy people! It was keeping her busy! What’s a little milk and flour, red food color, chocolate syrup, eggs, oatmeal and peas when it supplies a happily occupied three-year-old?

Needless to say, we’re ordering pizza for dinner.

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a quilt for a son

Posted by on Mar 15, 2011 in me + my crew, sew + quilt | 2 comments

strip squares quilt detail

A project from the past: This quilt was finished a couple of years ago and now resides in a college dorm at the other end of the state. It came home last weekend for a launder, so I snapped this quick photo on it’s way back out the door. Making this quilt was pure joy. I loved every minute of it, from choosing the rich blues and greens with my [awesome*] son in mind, to piecing together each individually-sized strip and then fitting squares in, one against another like a puzzle. It came together organically and without any kind of pattern, which is my favorite way to sew. Literally dozens of quilts later, it is still one of my favorite quilts I have ever finished. In addition, it’s owner, the big brother in the inkstitch house, is one of my favorite people.

And just because I can, I’ll include a photo of the big brother’s biggest little fan.

baby smile

*Awesome. Because when I was writing this post about thirty-four different great attributes came to mind that I could use as adjectives to describe my son, and I didn’t want to be one of those moms. But seriously. If you know him, you know what I mean.

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