Why don’t I like this quilt??

When Michael and I were photographing all of my quilts, I kept pushing one to the back and finally suggested that we just leave it and not take pictures of it. Michael asked me a poignant question……”Why don’t you like it?”

I had to think about it for a few minutes and then responded that I remembered the emotions that were racing thru my mind as I was making it and it put a damper on my enjoyment of both the process and then the quilt itself!!

This quilt was started as part of one of our guild challenges where we were supposed to use polygons in the design. I had an idea and started to work on it but then life started to unravel a bit. We were planning to travel to Nepal in June to trek in the Himalayas, but then there was an earthquake at the end of April. Plans were put on hold, plans were changed, travel tickets were canceled, life was rerouted, VISA’s were complicated, new passports were needed, and on and on!!! None of these things were horrible but they simply overwhelmed us for about 2 months!!!

Now, when I look at the finished quilt, that is all I can remember…..the frustration, disappointment and challenges of that time period.

As I was refolding the quilt after the photo session, I decided to hang it in my studio for a while and try to enjoy it. And it has worked!!! It will probably never be a favorite quilt, but I have come to love the simplicity and serenity in the design……

Maybe it isn’t such a bad quilt after all…….

Eat your Eggplant

The title statement, “eat your eggplant”, was not one that I ever heard as a kid!! Growing up in the heart of West Texas, eggplant wasn’t all that popular!!

I first learned about it when, as a young couple, Michael and I were living in Australia and bought a cookbook with a recipe for Ratatouille and, of course, the main ingredient was Eggplant!!

I have always been intrigued with the color of an eggplant, never really knowing if it was black or purple, or maybe even dark blue.

So, when the January block for the 2021 Monthly Color Challenge showed up, I was excited to see that it was going to give me the opportunity to explore the Eggplant!!

I spent a bit of time looking closely at a live example….

….but still had a hard time deciding on the color.

Then I added it to a few fabrics and I started seeing a pattern…..

It is Purple but also has some traces of red in the rind.

Since I only needed two colors, I decided that these best exemplified the stately Eggplant….

I had to “fussy cut” the dark hand-dyed fabric to make the best use of the darker color but soon had my pieces cut…..

After a few, short minutes of sewing….

……trimming and even a bit of ripping, the block was ready to sew together….

I had never “spun” an intersection before but in Jen’s instructional video she shows how to do it so I jumped in and tried it. It made the cutest, tiniest pinwheel on the back….

….and the front was picture perfect and OH SO FLAT……

Now, if I am going to be perfectly honest, Eggplant has never been a favorite food!! I am not happy with the texture of it and the only flavor that I get is from the surrounding juices!! Having said that, I did cook it one night for a vegetarian friend, and loved using it in the place of meat. I sliced the eggplant in thick slabs and breaded it using a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis for “Pork Milanese”….just leaving out the Pork. We dipped the eggplant in flour and then beaten eggs and finally crusted it with a bread crumb mixture containing grated Parmesan cheese, dried basil, and dried thyme. We then fried it in a bit of Olive Oil and Butter…..it was YUMMY!!!

If you haven’t already joined the 2021 Monthly Color Challenge, why don’t you jump over the “Patterns By Jen” and check out this and future clues!!!

So for now, it is Goodbye Eggplant……hello Lemon!!!

Virtual Quilt-A-Long

Yesterday was another first for me…. I participated in a virtual quilt-a-long!! Our guild has been looking for ways to get our members together more often so we tried a Q-A-L. The numbers were small but we had a great time!!

We were following a challenge and the first clue was to use a circle in the design. I knew that I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on this project but still wanted to participate and this first clue reminded me of a book that I was planning to work thru……

So, I decided that I would kill two birds with one stone and try to follow the challenge clues while learning how to make a face in fabric….smart huh!!

While everybody else dug into their fabric, I started working thru the steps to draw a face. The book did a great job of teaching how to find the proportions of the face….

I started with the circle (arc) pieces….

….and then moved to the second clue….flying geese!!

After a few minutes of thought, I decided that she could have necklace of geese shaped beads…..

I will add a “chain” to it and may add some 3-D beads between the geese.

Next, we were supposed to add something with lines….either in cut strips or in a fabric. I excitedly searched for this one particular fabric in my stash…..

…and sliced it into lots of little strips…..

I had SO much fun playing with these strips and LOVE her hair….

Next clue said to add a house or architectural element such as a window or door. Since the eyes are said to be the window to the world….that was my invitation to work on her eyes…..

At this point the Q-A-L time was over and I had to move on to some other projects so here she sits…nose-less and mouth-less!!! But, MAN do I like her hair!!

Future clues include adding an X or cross, adding squares, putting a heart on it, and then one element of my own choosing. I don’t really know that I will continue with the challenge but sure plan to finish her up!!

For now she will be a mascot on my design wall….urging me on!!

Here is the progress from the other participants…..

There will be some WONDERFUL projects coming from this morning.

It was fun to have a view into our member’s sewing rooms and to be able to chat at different times thru the morning. I definitely want to do this again!!!!

Maybe you can join us next time!!

The 2021 Color Challenge is underway!!

If you are interested in a simple block challenge for 2021 that is food AND color based, check out Patterns By Jen.

During the year, we will be feasting on Eggplant, Lemons, Yams, Cherries, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Limes Mushrooms, Pineapple, Grapefruit, Blueberries and Green Olives. Is your mouth watering??

courtesy of deannaminich.com

Along the way, bloggers will not only share their colors and ideas but also their favorite recipes using these fruits and veggies.

You can find the overview here, and the first block (Eggplant) is presented here…..

And….if the challenge itself isn’t enough incentive, each quarter various sponsors will offer prizes to participants….

Won’t you join me in this fun way to fill out that 4th line of the healthy food pyramid!!!

Free Vector | Healthy food pyramid chart

Stay tuned for my version of the January block……

I’m Seeing Red!

….A little late because I forgot to post it yesterday!!!

No, I am not mad!!!

This is the title of yet another challenge quilt that I created back in 2000.

This time the guild had a color challenge and the color that I selected out of the hat was RED.

I wanted it to be bold and audacious and finally settled on a pattern from the book “Op-Art Quilts” by Marilyn Doheny…..

The construction of the quilt was relatively simple, as long as I CAREFULLY followed the cutting instructions. I remember that I didn’t have much extra fabric which meant that proper cutting was even MORE important!!

I even found some of the strip sets when I opened my “Pandora’s Box” of miscellaneous fabrics!!!

I was especially proud of the the two borders that I added. I really felt that the second “strip set” border added a lot to the design.

I wanted to keep the corners simple to really emphasize the bold pattern. I entered it into our guild quilt show and remember that one of the judges said that there was too much movement and no place for the eye to settle!!! It was one of the few times that I wanted to reply to the review and say DUH!!!