where the wild things live

the wild thing quilt was completed this week and ready to be picked up. yeah!! I hope the palette of colors isn't too wild...I'm finding it quite scrumptious!

I saved the celebration of dogs for the back of the quilt:

where the wild things are

right after I finished the peace village quilt, I began another project this one also needed a quick turn around time. this quilt is being made for a baby that is due in late april. once again I choose a pattern based on the log cabin block.

in interviewing the woman who has commissioned the quilt I learned that the couple who will be receiving the quilt are nature and animal lovers, their home is decorated in warm, earth colors - oh, and they are mega dog lovers. they know the baby is a boy. I used this information as the building blocks for the quilt. for the top I choose a palate of colors that I consider earth colors, although I don't know if one would consider them warm as there's quite a bit of spark at play.

the blocks are scrappy (I think I might have used eight or ten different fabrics), however, the center of each block uses the same fabric - this fabric features images of woodland creatures. a fussy square showcasing an animal face is the center square for each block. repeating bands of color act as sashing strips combining the blocks.

on monday I layered the quilt and now am in the process of hand-stitching the layers. the blocks which measure 6 1/2 inches are a bit too big for tying, which I consider the quickest method of layer attachment. by the way, the fabrics I chose for the back address the love for dogs that the couple has - photos to come. when complete the quilt will measure approximately 52 inches square. I tend to make 'baby quilts' large enough to accompany the child as he or she grows and I prefer fabrics that aren't too babyish.

and the winner is!

methinks p is deliriously happy to be the winner of the peace village quilt!! what say you?

detail of quilt - showing back of quilt

(don't forget you can click on pic to enlarge)

quite a show!

a few of the highlights from sunday's visit to the 2008 quilt show at the metrolakes farmpark. very inspirational!!

peace village

the current project underway is another village quilt- the basic block is done with strip piecing and turns out to be a simple and fast quilt to construct. seeing that I'm making this quilt to donate as the raffle prize for the FEDOPO fundraiser, that is going to be held on saturday march 15th, a quilt that is simple and fast is definitely in order!

yesterday I started hand-stitching the middle of the quilt. again the plan is for a simple and fast stitching pattern. along the black on the border will be words of peace.... such as 'give peace a chance' 'let there be peace on earth" "let peace begin with me" - whatever I can fit in.

if you click on photos you can enlarge the pictures and see the different fabrics a bit better. I found the peace crane fabric when I was down visiting my mom and dad - unfortunately I only bought one yard! my fabric purchase was determined literally by the amount of cash I had in my pocket at the time. maybe in may when I return they will still have some left. the fabric is by alexander henry; the date along the selvage is 2006 so I expect it's not around much. unfortunately, last month was the first time I ran across this fabric....ah so many fabrics so little money (and time to make use of all of them!) the fabric with people is the last of my 'save the children fabric' - I did buy many yards of this fabric when it came out a couple years ago and it has been incorporated in quite a few quilts.



speaking of fabrics, I had the most wonderful surprise in the mail a couple weeks ago. some friends of ours are currently living in new zealand (for a year - they better come back, although it does sound pretty wonderful down there, so one never knows). any way, they sent some fabric images inspired by maoir art (and sheep)..... can't wait to play with the fabric. perhaps there is a village in new zealand that will need to be constructed - with a few other fabrics, this group does seem like it would be good as the core fabrics for another cozy village quilt!

all around the world

before I headed to d.c. last week I whipped together a baby quilt for a friend of mine to give to a friend of hers. the baby is expected to arrive any day now. I didn't have much time to make the quilt and my friend said a simple quilt was fine. she didn't want to go down empty handed and she thought it would be lovely to bring a magical mouse quilt along for the baby.

my friend's friend and her husband are world travelers so I thought an 'around the world' quilt would be perfect. I'm keen on having the quilts I make symbolically represent something about the people who will be cuddling or hanging the quilt - sometimes the symbols are in the design I settle on or the fabrics I choose for the project. most often theres a bit of symbolic 'thinking' in both the design and the fabrics.

we don't know whether the baby is a boy or girl - not that it matters, I'm always fond of bright, bold colors. however, if I know a baby is a girl I sometimes will incorporate a bit more feminine touches (ironic that I the queen of androgyny feels this way! but perhaps I'm being sensitive to prevailing notions and the dominant cultural paradigm) there are 16 fabrics used in this quilt. strip piecing makes this quilt a snap to construct. for this quilt each strip was 2 1/2 inches by 13 inches. finished block was 2 inch square. I had the top and the bottom both done in a day. it did take a couple more days to do all the finishing work.

stars heal

yesterday the starry surprise quilt was mailed - I'm crossing my fingers that it arrives to its destination by saturday and finds the final recipient home from the hospital. if not it will be a most cuddly welcome home gift!

front: two traditional designs - friendship star and flying geese, each star block measures 6" square. top is composed of all batik fabrics

back: center fabric reproduction of fabric from the 1800s (pennsylvania)

detail: hand stitched and hand tied