Another Carpet Inspiration

When I arrived in Denton, Texas to give my presentations to the Denton Quilt Guild, I was understandably nervous.

However, when I stepped into the hall of my hotel, I KNEW that all would be well…..

THIS carpet not only has a fun pattern, but a quilting design too!!

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More Bathroom Inspiration

A few weeks back, I posted about inspiration from a bathroom, and my friend, Mary, sent me this wonderful blue and yellow example…..

At least, when I FIRST looked at it, I only saw blue and yellow, but now I can see another pinkish color that adds a lot of interest….

I started out trying to figure out a repeating block design…..

….but couldn’t come up with one that would repeat easily.

Then, I started looking at piecing it in horizontal rows…..

This would work but you would have to keep your wits about you to keep the pattern going.

Finally, I looked at vertical columns…..

… and I think that this would be easiest way to piece it.

You would alternate 4-patches with larger squares on one column, and then piece the narrow column using the dark fabric and the “funky peach”.

Okay, now I have figured out HOW to piece it…….

Mary…..back to you!!

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Peacocks in the Bathroom

I LOVE Peacocks, as you can tell by the numerous peacocks present in my studio…..

So, when reader, Marcia Salansky sent in photos of quilts that she made from bathroom peacock images, I was hooked!!

Here is what she had to say about them…..

The inspiration for the peacock quilts was found in a bathroom of a local sub and pizza restaurant. After time passed, I was determined to complete these colorful birds. I began with one of the pictures, creating a pattern, transferring the pattern to the background fabric, and pulling fabrics. I was on uncharted ground. This was before collage quilts were all the rage. Gradually, I cut and placed pieces of fabric, often using a pair of tweezers for exact placement. When all the pieces were in place, I ironed them for permanent placement. The quilting followed the lay of the feathers. Thread sketching added details and shadowing. The quilt was finished by adding a red strip and blue binding to frame the peacock. Looking at the finished quilt, I liked what I saw and proceeded to complete the other two quilts. All three were later sold during the Asheville Quilt Show.

I always like to ask quilters about their creative journey. Marcia said this…..

As a young girl my mother taught me to sew my own clothes. I enjoyed doing this activity. My quilt journey began in Virginia when a friend bought me a small quilt kit and spent a weekend teaching me how to complete it. I was hooked. My initial quilts were traditional lap/bed quilts and table runners. After retiring from teaching, I moved to Asheville, North Carolina (an artist’s territory) and joined the Asheville Quilt Guild. This guild is blessed with extremely talented quilters and artists. I learned many different techniques and began moving towards art quilts. After many workshops and online classes, my skills produced quilts worthy of selling. The most critical factor for me was this environment. I was immersed with creative individuals who encouraged and guided me along the way.

She ended by saying that she is continuing her journey with birds, but has moved on to Thread Painting, a skill learned from an online class by Deborah Wirsu from Australia.

I loved her final words….

New opportunities excite me, and I am quite often surprised at the finished product, in a good way.

Thank you Marcia for sharing this triumph with us!!!

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More Bathroom Inspiration

The other day I was enjoying combing through photos of some of our trips and ran across this one from a bathroom in Istanbul, Turkey…..

And, I am sure that you know what I was thinking when I took the photo!

Wouldn’t this be a fun idea for a quilt design?

I can just see making something with the striped blocks alternating with the other “shaped” blocks.

I’ve said it before….inspiration is EVERYWHERE!!

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Chelsea inspiration

I have shared this before, but Michael and I LOVE British detective shows!! We have recently started watching “The Chelsea Detective” and are enjoying the series greatly.

In a recent show, I kept noticing a painting in the background of one of the shots and finally made Michael go back so that I could take a photo……