Christmas Present!

Oh, oh, oh! Look what I got for Christmas. (OK, I don't actually have it yet, but it will be on its way to me in just a few days!) I am -so-excited!

S-s

Tonya's method of free piecing the letter "S" is awesome. I love the way it looks. Very bold, very graphic. I like making the bottom part very thick, making the lower curve almost a triangle, and raising that curve up, almost snakelike.One thing it isn't, however, is blissful. So I have to make my two S's softer, slimmer and a bit more graceful.
I'm getting there.

My friend the Selvage Fairy wants a tutorial on how I made the B. Will do, SF, but you will have to wait until the weekend when I have a bit more time.




Those of you with eagle eyes will notice something the B and S have in common. They are made of the same fabric. They were supposed to be different.

Oops.

B - Fini!

It's about 12" square.

...and it's WAY past my bedtime, so more about it later.

To Be

As you may (or may not) know, I love a good pun, hence the title of today's post.*
At any rate, here is my plan for the letter B in my "Follow Your Bliss" banner, and here it is in progress.



* Just say it out loud

Test Line-Up

I've sewn the o-u-r together. The two words aren't sewn together yet, I set them on the floor to get an idea of how they were looking. I decided I liked the U the way it was.
Shelly, who is also in New Hampshire (we gotta get together!) commented yesterday that the letters almost looked cursive. YAY! If you look at the page in my notebook, and the page with my "Follow Your Bliss" writing over and over, you -might- be able to see why I have sewn the letters the way I did.

Yes, I am trying to mimic my handwriting somewhat. I want to keep the fresh feeling of my writing. I don't want the phrase to seem like a command, and I want the letters to flow as if they were written by hand. Looks like I have to tilt the Y a bit more, and move the first word so it tips up a little at the end.

As usual, I'm using a lot of the WOW background. I'm going to have to call my friends at Quilted Threads (the most awesome quilt shop in the area) and see if they can send me more!

Your

I'm still working on the second word in my quote, "Your." I think the negative space in the U is too big, and I will likely redo it. But I really, really like this R.Peggi figured out what the quote is. It's
"Follow your bliss"

from Joseph Campbell, from The Power of Myth. Clicking the links will bring you to all kinds of information about the quote, its context, Joseph Campbell himself and the series of conversations he had with Bill Moyers 25 years ago that became a PBS television series.

More to Follow

The "Follow" block is finished. This panel measures 13-1/4" tall by 32" wide.

Nobody has come close to guessing the quote. My sister knew right off, but then, she's my sister!

On to the next word.

Merry Christmas

Here's the first word of my quote. The smaller letters are about six or so inches tall.

It isn't from the Wizard of Oz.

Have a great day! Merry Christmas to All!

Oh!

Yes, it's an "o" and yes, it's crooked. It's also the next letter in the sequence.

Making SLITHER for Tonya's Slither Eek Boo quilt taught me that a free pieced word can look like more than just letters all lined up in a row. I've been really thinking about how I want these letters to look and...

well, you'll see. (if they turn out they I want them to, that is!)


Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers and friends!

Whatzit Wednesday

I haven't spent any time in the sewing studio in the last month. This fact is annoying in and of itself. Sewing is my stress relief. Without it I get overwrought, agitated and cranky. Most of all, I feel adrift and aimless. Sure, I have a few things I -should- be doing, but right now they seem a lot like -work- which doesn't really make me WANT to get in there and get going.

So I decided to give myself a little project. Something smallish, something fun, something just for me. I thought, "what do I love to do?" and the answer was make letters. Then, "what shall I say?" A phrase I love popped into my head.

After dinner, leaving a kitchen full of dirty dishes (whee!) I went into the sewing room and started pulling fabrics.I don't usually do the rainbow thing, because I think it's corny, and overdone, but for this (when you see it) I think it fits.

Here's where it begins, and that's all I'm saying for now.
Have fun guessing...

Help!

You've all seen my Alphabet Sampler Quilt. It's going to be published in an upcoming book and I think it needs a more creative title. The quilt is completely free-pieced, so maybe the title needs to reflect that. I'm terrible at naming things. (you can click the photo to enlarge.)

Any suggestions? Leave them in the comments. Thanks!

***Update*** I asked my friend Julie and she asked her coworkers and one of them came up with a name I really like:

Letters From Home

Since the book project isn't mine, I don't feel comfortable divulging more information about it, but I will surely let you know when it happens!

Tree Skirt Finished!

My Christmas Tree Skirt is (finally) finished. It only took me two years. I love the way it looks under the tree.It's about 44" across. The squares are 4". It's got a poly batting, and is tied. The ruffle is about 4" deep. There's no pattern. Or rather, there was, about 33 years ago...

Here is a link to the others I have made.

Christmas Tree Skirt

I started this in 2007. Last year I got ahead of myself. Maybe I'll get it finished this year.

Maybe.

Rumors of my Demise...

are greatly exaggerated. After a fabulous Thanksgiving week of visiting family and friends, I am simply zonked. My tree is half constructed, and I haven't spent much time in the sewing studio.

However, these little bags (filled with goodies, of course) will soon be delivered to a couple of cute fairy oddkids.