Early Morning Photos

I woke up this morning and just needed to photograph the Farmer’s Wife Sampler top, henceforth known as Technicolor Fields – now that it is a top, hehe. I grabbed shoes, coat, top, and camera, then headed into the frigid morning to document the awesome. Thankfully, I have no neighbors in this building that have dogs – no unfriendly surprises in the snow in front of my building!

It’s freaking cold at 6:00 AM in Wisconsin in winter, never mind that we’re supposedly heading into spring this month.

I took the above photo, and a couple more, trying to find higher ground, to no avail. I’m only 5’4″, and the snow piles weren’t giving me much height.

Then I remembered that we have access to the balcony that overlooks the front lawn! I dashed upstairs, opened the door to the closet leading to the balcony, and about gave up. I forgot that hubby has been using it for storage.

Still, I was determined. With some strategic shuffling, and some sucking in of the gut, I achieved my goal and was above Technicolor Fields!

Behold! In all its glory:

*happy shuffle* *happy shuffle*

It’s done! It’s done!

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Now I’m going to start the Dear Jane Sampler again.

Chugging Away

Work is becoming more and more hectic as the start of the fall semester approaches. I’ve been laboring under the onus of several projects that needed to be completed before classes start, with too little manpower and not enough time. I’m sure this is the universal cry of government employees everywhere, but this is my first real experience with this many items on my plate with such rapidly approaching drop-dead completion dates

It’s more than a little wearing.

However, I will pull through. I might need more than a couple of drinks and some sushi nights to recover from this summer  of endless stress, but I will pull through.

Helping me get through this has been my quilting. I’m taking refuge in it, burying myself in the comforting hum of my sewing machine and the glorious slide of cotton in my fingers. I can turn off my worries for those precious moments that I’m stealing away from sleeping.

When I get a chance today to go through and decide what blocks will go into Row 5, I’ll take some photos and make some comments about how I’m deciding what goes where. Hint: it’s a very loose process.

…

Can I just say that I love the way this is turning out? I’ve been nervous about getting this project to this state. Now I can be happy with the way it’s turning out, and my brain is starting to focus on the quilting. This has been such a tremendous project, and I’ve taken such care with the piecing that I really want this to be an heirloom piece of art, maybe even a quilt show entry.

Oh, and I’ve decided on a new name, I think: Technicolor Fields. It’s a nod to the original quilt, as in farmer’s fields, but also acknowledging the field of bright stars I’ve created with the setting.

Unfettered Productivity

I’ve been in a highly creative phase lately, which has led to an unprecedented level of quilt-y output for me.

I completed quilting and binding of Cheating on the Farmer’s Wife, Part Deux in the middle of last week, but i wanted to save posting about it until after I’d buried all the threads and washed it. There were so many threads hanging out that it took me until Friday morning to complete that. So then I decided to wait until after Stitch ‘N’ Bitch. I only need to take care of labeling the quilt, and I can call it totally finished!

CotFW, Part Deux measures in at 72″ X 72″, and uses Warm & Natural batting, as all of my quilts do. The quilting is done in several different colors  of thread, while the bobbin thread was one of two shades of gray or black thread.

I love, love, love the backing! I had mentally questioned the decision to go with the three neutrals in the bobbin, but I’m thrilled that I went with my instinct. I love the soft geometry of the backing, and how the  quilting pops against the fabrics used in it.

I’ve started setting my Farmer’s Wife blocks. While I’ve loved the EQ7 illustration I’ve been looking at for several months, I’ve been slightly nervous about seeing it all in fabrics. Having gotten a start on it, my fears are allayed!

Unfortunately, due to trusting  EQ7’s cutting instructions and pre-cutting everything I needed for this top, I actually need to order more of everything. Honestly, this is my own damned fault. I looked at the instructions, which told me to start with 4 7/8″ squares for the setting triangles, and had the initial thought that I should cut my squares larger, at 6″ square, so that I could trim down and square up. Instead, I let my instinct be overridden by my trust in EQ7, and cut 5″ blocks. This resulted in my blocks coming in almost a quarter inch too small.

Anyone know of an online vendor that will allow me to order just an FQ or quarter yard of Kona solids? I only need two 6″ squares of several colors, but might have re-order a full half-yard of everything if I can’t find a shop that allows smaller cuts.