Sew Sunshine

Japandi 57" x 49"  improv crosshatch organic quilting a BeeUtifully Modern Bee quilt my Bee mates: Jen, Phyllis, Liz and Judy  This quilt is the first blocks my beemates and I made together.  I was up for Queen Bee first and I chose a combination of Japans wabi-sabi style mixed with the clean natural lines of Scandinavian design. Throw in asking for making your own stripes and a neutral palette and you get Japandi style! It took me 2 full length audio books to piece the blocks together once they were turned in. I think I figured close to 22 hours. It was a challenge to create balance and use up all the bits.  It is hard to tell from here but some of those little bits are tiny tiny bits, skinny lines and stripes.  With our Bee if you want your piece bigger you have to make quite a few blocks and bits to fill in. In this quilt each person made one big block and then gave me all the scraps they had leftover. I worked to ...

I made a new much needed bag! It is the Luisa pattern by  Sotak Handmade I used my stash canvas fabrics for this bag. It went together pretty easily. Of course I didn't take pics of the inside which is a bright pink print. This bag is great! It has a zip pocket outside and on the back two slip in pockets. In the inside it has a zipper pocket and then the whole thing zips shut. It is the perfect size to carry my tablet or just small stuff.  I guess I was in the sewing mood as I got out some knit fabric I had and made a tunic top too.  I might make more since I still have a huge stash of knits and other clothing type fabrics.   I have been neglecting my garden of flowers and veggies but they seem to be thriving pretty well. My husband shoots them some water so I guess I should say they are his garden. This hibiscus has gone wild. We have another one that is white, gotten and planted at the same time and it is a dwarf compared to this one...

Dog Days - from dictionary.com =  plural noun the   sultry   part  of  the   summer,   supposed  to  occur   during   the   period   that   Sirius,   the   Dog   Star, rises  at  the   same   time  as  the   sun:   now   often   reckoned   from   July  3 to  August  11. a  period   marked  by  lethargy,   inactivity,  or  indolence. Bits from my dog days:  BeeUtifully Modern Bee mate Liz picked an open theme for her Bee blocks. Sort of "a day in the life" or "inspired by Gwen Marsten-ish" or "whatever makes you happy" combo. The fabric colors she picked were way cool. I put off doing mine for a long time because I was not sure how to depict a day.  The top block is sort of a maze. Each days starts out with hope and then depending on how I feel, I either accompl...

"Overlapping Dimensions"  24"x24" Improv pieced, machine free organic plaid quilting My Big Blue inspired challenge piece for an upcoming exhibit. Our LQG used a quilt for inspiration that was made by Ardis James back in 1983. We chose 7 blocks to remake, update, modernize or reinterpret whatever way you say it.  Each block has at least 3 people modernizing it. We ended up with 25 pieces turned in. The proposal for an exhibition has been submitted to the IQSCM for a possible exhibit in the spring. This outdoor photo-shoot was so fun as my friend and fellow quilt buddy Jen was out with me. She has a piece in this challenge too and needed a photo also.  My block was a single wedding ring block. It was pieced and then appliqued onto a background piece. I chose to do an improv interpretation of the block because I feel that if Ardis was alive today she would appreciate the deviation from the rules of traditionally made wedding ring blocks.  ...