Quilt Focus : Prismatic Star

Perhaps the easiest paper piecing pattern I have ever done was the Prismatic Star. It's 48 - 2 1/2" strips, 1 1/8 yards of leading, and 2 1/2 yards of background...and absolutely amazing. It's fast and fun, and a great beginner project if you are new to paper piecing. Plus it has smart corners, so the final line up is easy peasy. I've been lucky enough to teach this one a bunch of times, and am always amazed that no matter whether you use a Judy Bali Pop (with 48 pieces) or a regular one, or whatever you have from your stash, it comes out amazing. I've has students do this one in Christmas, Halloween, Batiks, Kona Solids, and even hand dyed fabrics.

Here are just a few samples....

My original made with a Judy Bali Pop, and Sapphire leading and Cabana background.

The same bali pop, but with a Grape leading, and a turquoise and purple butterfly print.

A Terra regular bali pop, with Breeze as the lightest value, and Moonstruck as the darkest.

That same Judy Bali pop, with Raven leading, and Celery background.

That same Judy pop, with black leading, and Orchid background.

And a couple in process shots....on the long arm....

just before trimming....

A closeup of the diamonds....

Made with a Lorikeet Bali Pop, and a couple of replacement sections.

I'm just waiting for someone to do one in reproductions!!!!

Pass Patcher's Fun

I got to present at the Pass Patcher's Guild in Beaumont last Wednesday, and it was really fun! I even had one of the ladies bring in a couple of her finished and in process Judy quilts, which made show and tell extra special.

Here are a few very grainy pics from the lecture....

This is. Vivian's Touch of Spring that she brought in! I love her color scheme!

This quilt was amazing, and had been a work in process for 4 years. It was absolutely stunning in real life! I did get a chance to see it up close, but alas, I didn't have my camera at that point, so I didn't get any pics.

We worked on Winter Wonderland for the workshop, which was tons of fun. I took those pics on the big camera, so hopefully I can get those downloaded tonight so you can see what we did.

What are you working on this week?

Cat

Quilt Focus : Mariner's Compass

So, I've been working on documenting all of my quilts, and it really is a big job, getting good shots takes quite a bit of work, between getting the right time of day, and the right lighting and the right location, etc, etc, etc. The pros make it look so easy, but it is anything but...so here's a couple of shots of this week's focus....Mariner's Compass. As with almost every quilt I make, this one turned purple. It originally was green, royal, yellow, and orange -- a sunshiny color set....and somewhere it turned purple, and pink, as they all seem to.

Here's some detail shots. 

Completely out of focus, because, I really don't know how to use my camera yet, at this point, I am pretty sure, I will never learn how to use my camera correctly.

This one, is totally dark, but it is the best for showing the quilting....

Perhaps my favorite part of this quilt I can't take credit for....the quilting is amazing, and by the wonderful Tammy Deshayes Doane. It has feathers, and flames, and echoing, and stippling, and micro stippling, and general awesomeness all around.

I hope you have enjoyed this peak into the quilt vault, hopefully, I will be able to post a couple more of these this summer, as I continue to work through the trunk show!!!

Happy Sewing!!!

Catherine 

Pinterest Interest

Do you ever dream about being a Pinterest Goddess?? You know, a person who can do any one of those amazing pinterest projects? I do, quite often in fact. I see these amazing projects and want to go out and immediately buy all of the supplies needed to do these projects....paper, glue, stain, boxes, peg board, lumber, crates, pallets, and any number of other craft items that would be needed. And a few I actually buy the stuff for, and yet they sit in the garage or in the sewing room, not yet started, or not quite finished. Call it the perfectionist in me, but I have big plans and I can "see" what I want, but I get paralyzed by the fear of the Pinterest Fail. You know what I am talking about....where you did everything according to the directions and it all goes to pot anyway, and you end up with just a big fat mess. So, I'm going to have to get over that, and soon. It's time to jump in and actually do some of these projects....so, here's some of the ones I want to do....

The boards that house 12,300 pins. Yes, that is a lot of pins.......

Just a few knitting projects - 2608 of them.....okay, in all fairness, there are quite a few that are knitting instructions or knitting website or stitch references.

Some organizing jobs that I want to do....

Some personal organizing that I want to do.

some recipes I want to try.....

and some self help info that I want to review

a little decorating

and a little more organizing....

So, lots of projects are in my future. I really want to move things from the planning list, or the interest list to the done list, even if it is really just a matter of combining the ideas together and coming up with an actual plan.....

now, off to work on those plans....

Do you have any projects that you are planning??? Do you over pin, like I do??? Do you lose hours pinning socks, and organizing tips, and recipes??? Do you have any solutions for this illness??? 

Make a List Monday - Week 14???

Okay -- so I have been a bit delinquent lately, not just here, but everywhere....just ask my laundry pile. I've been busy at work, and getting my life under control, and of course, doing taxes, which is never my favorite thing. It's amazing how many hours can slip by when you are cleaning, and organizing and reorganizing and prepping to move...needless to say, life has been crazy busy, and I have been very distracted. But I am trying to get back on track with the blog and the business and sewing, and all those things...I honestly didn't realize how long it had been until I had to calculate the week for this Make a List Monday....and it's been 5 weeks!!! Not that I haven't missed before, because that's absurd, but I just didn't realize how long it had been. But now, back to the mail event, what I'm working on this week....

1. Cleaning up the sewing room. It's a disaster at the moment.....


2. Reorganizing the online shop. Look out for a big sale in the next few days!!!
3. Make a wall hanging for an employee. See next week for an update on that one.
4. Making Bindings for the following quilts : Charm School and Fire Island Hosta Rainbow

As far as the rest of the week....I am teaching on Tuesday in Poway -- Feathered Star, followed by a visit to the Pass Patchers Guild in Beaumont, where I am doing the guild presentation on Wednesday, and the workshop on Thursday. So, a busy week is on the schedule. Hopefully it won't impact the things I want to get done....


What are you working on this week???

Catherine

Working on a million things....

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, as friends are moving to Seattle, and I've been focusing on packing, and spending as much time as possible before they leave doing the goofy things you do with friends...making memories and just generally relaxing.... oh, and eating, lots of eating....so, exactly what have I been up to???

Watching - reruns of Blue Bloods, I SO love Netflix! 

Craving - Chinese, it's my favorite lately

Doing - lots of laundry, and cleaning

Obsessing - over Three Irish Girls yarn -- their color ways are amazing!

Loving - being able to wear flip flops again. While you can generally wear them all year long in CA, it's been wet and rainy lately, and that is not so much fun with flip flops.

Reading - Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare - I devoured it in just a couple of days. Clare might be my favorite new author.

Wanting - to be done with paperwork!!! It seems to never end lately.

Pinning - not much...I've been a bit pin delinquent lately. I have however, been working on doing some of the pins that I have pinned.

Dreaming - of girly retreat weekends. I need some serious girlfriend relaxing time.

Writing - not so much writing as editing lately. As we get ready for market there are always a million things to write and rewrite and write again, and again.

Crafting - not much. I picked up a bunch of patterns for bags, but I haven't gotten around to making any of them yet.

Sewing - not much. Work is busy, life is busy, so I haven't spent much time sewing in the past few weeks. I am hoping to resolve that in the next few days, but at least until next Thursday no sewing for me. 

Knitting - With Alaina leaving for Seattle and notoriously chilly wet weather, I have a couple of items on the needles for her, and I have been eyeing a doggie sweater for Penny, but so far, I haven't picked yarn or a pattern, just research.

Listening - to books on tape, particularly Napoleon Hill and Tony Robbins....

Wearing - my standard uniform, jeans and t-shirts, though I did add some new shirts to the repertoire, and I have been able to turn in my tennis, for flip flops lately.

Needing - nothing, except a little sleep and a little less stress, but market will be over in just a few weeks and everything will calm down.

Planning - just a few dozen projects or so....the patterns came in for Clamshells, and I am collecting lots of fabrics for that one. 

Trying - to give up diet coke....and failing miserably....

What have you been up to this week?

Catherine