Quilting – Page 2 – Morning Glory Studio

unraveled wed | 9.25.19 …

Published on September 25, 2019 by Honoré6 Comments

I’ve not added any new TBRs … On the log cabin front: the green is about 12 rows from done and I’m deciding which shade of blue to use for that last square. In one of my weekly Döstädning bursts, I discovered a few needlepoint canvases from days long gone; this one was nearly done so I finished it Sunday during Friendstitching. Just in time too ~ Christmas is 3 months away… Just sayin’…

I am now real ... well, almost. This morning, I went to DMV to renew my driver’s license. After standing in line for an hour, then sitting for another hour (not to mention gathering documents and filling out forms before I even went), my number was called. 15 minutes later, all the information was collected/documented and I left with a temporary paper license, good for 45 days … the real one expected in 15 days. I hope so!

We’re having deliciously cool fall weather, ’cause as Dee sez: It’s Fall, Y’all! Lots of oak leaves on the ground but color changes seem slow – or is it just my impatience? Norman’s off on a walk and I’m headed to my sewing studio to stitch more wonky stars.

Joining Kat and friends for unraveled wednesday. How’s your day shaping up?

Cheers~

weekending| 8.26.19 …

Published on August 26, 2019 by Honoré7 Comments

The weekend was filled with two activities I most enjoy:

spending time with friends
stitching

Friday

On Fri (8.23.19), three friends and I went to Baltimore (I drove) to see a photographic exhibit of the Women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The women are African American quilters who gained national attention in the early 2000s. The exhibit, displayed at the Reginald F. Lewis African American Museum of Art, features the photography of a reknown Baltimore photographer, Linda Day Clark, .

In 2002, the New York Times sent Day Clark to Gee’s Bend to photograph the quilters @home. Gee’s Bend is one of the poorest areas in the US. This current exhibition includes portraits of some of the quilters, their families and everyday life – as well as a display of four quilts (two shown above) owned by Linda Day Clark that have never been displayed before. They are exquisite!

my first Gee’s Bend inspired quilt, 2009 ~ signed by the Gee’s Bend Quilters

I first encountered the Gee’s Bend Quilters in 2009, on my maiden trip to Sisters Oregon. My friend Pat and I traveled there to take classes, especially a workshop taught by them. T’is an experience that has become one of our fondest memories. We returned again for a second workshop in 2011.

Seeing the photos of the women we met, their home life, family (including grand children – and the quilts) was a back to the future experience. I have had all sorts of brainstorms and inspirations about how I plan to proceed and in particular, finish the quilt I began in 2017 – my latest trip to Sister. It will tie in beautifully. Sometimes I guess one just has to wait for the Universe to converge. Stay tuned…

Sunday

Sunday was our monthly Friendstitch gathering, replete with a delicious spread! And the yummiest of desserts: lemon flavored cake and cookies!

Margaret’s needlepointing a cute canvas featuring a dog suggesting a walk? Theresa’s knitting a baby sweater; Michelle, needlepointing a holiday piece (Christmas is 4 months away, just sayin’) and Pat is doing a cross stitch… I think she did all of the spool of thread. I played around with weaving and knitting.

Too soon the afternoon ended and we packed up til our Sept gathering.

T’was a lovely weekend and I’m so grateful to have spent it among and with friends!

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 8.7.19 …

Published on August 7, 2019 by Honoré5 Comments

~gingko leaves~

Not much on the horizon this week. I was looking over photos taken over the past several days and rather surprised that the pickins were rather slim. I did so enjoy seeing these gingko leaves against the afternoon sky this past Saturday…as I wended my way home…

…and this is another look at the journal. I went with an elastic band, found a small lock and keys in my stash (who knew?) and just for fun, added them.

I also added two bands on the inside front/back covers to help hold a journal in place…the fabric in the middle of the band is stretchy; hopefully, that will allow the cover to expand as my friend fills in her journal…she does a lot of tipping in of pages she’s culled from magazines, ephemera, etc… all which contribute to the journal’s growth.

Educated, the book and podcasts remain my faithful walking companions. I’m dipping into a lot of different nonfiction titles on habits and “unplugging” from the digital world. I’ll do a roundup soon.

Off to run a few errands before a 1pm hair appt…Joining Kat and friends for another round of unraveled wednesdays.

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 7.31.19 …

Published on July 31, 2019 by Honoré7 Comments

I have quite a library of books about journaling – no surprise. Last week I bought Be A Blessing, a journal created and written by Debbie Macomber, the author. It’s colorful, fun and she uses a gardening metaphor. I think I’ll buy copies for my nieces’ Christmas presents.

I finished the journal! And soon it will be wending its way to my friend in FL. I opted for the elastic band; she also weighed in and said she liked that option. Wish granted. Thanks for your suggestions and votes.

My next quilting project is to assemble approximately 75 of the above squares – each different and made by members of my quilting association as a gift/thank you at the end of my presidency, 2015. Obviously, I didn’t rush into completing this quilt; it has literally taken me this long to find a fabric I liked that complimented the variety of the blocks. All very colorful. I think the fabric works.

And that’s the way it is on this, the last day of July 2019. My, how time flies! Feel that way to you, also?

Joining Kat and friends for another Unraveled Wednesday.

Cheers~

PS. Several readers commented on yesterday’s post about habits and the “need/desire” to make a few adjustments to their own mornings. Check out this link on the process of using a tiny habit to create a new one.

unraveled wednesday|6.26.19…

Published on June 26, 2019 by Honoré7 Comments

Hah! I wish that were true! My friend Betsy had this shirt on and the minute I saw it, I knew I had to take a photo and share. This past weekend, I finished a quilt wall hanging that my friend Pat and I made for another friend – who is winding down her annual Aruba ‘vaca’ – so the quilt is yet to be gifted…and that’s about all the quilting I’ve done since May…not much… But! I have more quilting projects patiently waiting in the wings.

Knitting on the Log Cabin continues… I tell myself ’tis good practice and soon will be very useful when the weather returns to cooler… November? Perhaps by then, I’ll be done! Perhaps…

Tho’ I’m not doing a summer bingo, I am aiming to read a few fiction titles: Where the Crawdads Sing; two more of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache: Bury Your Dead and A Trick of Light ; and finish Stephen King’s 11.22.63 . These should carry me through the summer.

And with that, I shall call this post a wrap. Joining Kat and friends for another Unraveled Wednesday!

Cheers~

the week in review: 20 -24 may 2019 …

Published on May 24, 2019 by Honoré5 Comments

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sometimes mondays … are spent attending a quilt exhibition of Mimi Dietrich’s Baltimore Album Quilts, on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. The Baltimore Album Quilt -aka as BAQ – is a Maryland grown quilt, created primarily by women’s church groups in the 1840s & 50s in Baltimore City; and so called an album because each (of the 6, 9, or 12 and sometimes 15) block is called an album. Traditionally, the quilt block’s main colors are red and green. Mimi, widely acclaimed for her BAQs, is a hometown – as in Baltimore – girl and teaches a year’s long class that ends if one stays on task with a BAQ! Monday afternoon, about 25 of us from my quilting association carpooled to Baltimore for a tour of the exhibit, led by Mimi – whom we all know and love! Besides being an accomplished quilter, excellent teacher, she’s tremendously funny and inspiring! The exhibit was just delightful and so much fun to see so many of Mimi’s quilts on display in one spot. I do not exaggerate: we were all inspired and my enthusiasm for making a BAQ rekindled. Prior to going to the exhibit, I’d decided to push the restart button – to begin again for the first time – later this year.

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unraveled wednesdays … I’m not sure what happened with the day ~ it just went! The day was comprised of

counting the many joys of my life, shared in the photo above, the first side of a two-sided scrapbook layout for LOAD;
making a quilt block ;
reading: I started Stephen King’s memoir: On Writing and am finding it deliciously fun and quick, as in flow, and
knitting a few more rows on my forever lap blanket. Simple garter stitch and excellent practice…

Chris and Kayla Prom smile

(this photo was taken in Oct 2009 for Chris’ Homecoming dance; Kayla was 9)

today! thank goodness it is Friday … and the day of Kayla’s senior prom! She has been waiting for this day, since she was 10, 8 years ago. Then Chris, her older sister, was prom bound. Kayla thought seeing all the girls in their dresses and guys in tuxedos and couples driven in stretch limousines was just magic. We gather this evening about 6:45 pm at the prom site. The day is lovely and I imagine/trust the evening will be also…

and that’s a wrap for this week. Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers~

sometimes mondays| 5.13.19 …

Published on May 13, 2019 by Honoré7 Comments

are for catching up…

The 2019 quilt show, May 2 -4: Our work actually began May 1 when we set everything up. The show featured a display of more than 200 member-made quilts; the infamous peddlers’ table; the raffle quilt and two raffle baskets – each filled with all sorts of quilting supplies and Sew Unique – a colorful array of quilted gifts and novelty items for sale, ranging from fabric postcards to tea wallets, matching hot pad/mitts, etc. New this year, in a room all alone: Quilts for Sale – over 30 such, ranging from early ’40s to 2018! We sold about 95% of inventory! The quilt show was a little later than usual due to Easter. Also happening that weekend: the International Sheep & Wool Festival and as we expected, some of the Festival goers also came to our event… especially since there was rain Saturday morning (the S & W Festival is an outside event). All in all, I’d say quilters, knitters, spinners, weavers had a nirvana weekend. I was plumb worn out come Saturday at 4 pm. I arrived home in time to watch the Kentucky Derby with barely enough energy to cheer the horses on! Not that I really cared. But. the Excitement. You. Know! I spent all day Sunday in a semi-vegetative state …

Monday, back to Columbia for the quilt show wrap up and awarding of Viewers’ Choice ribbons. My friend Betsy won two first place ribbons; one for this bargello quilt. It’s quite dynamic … and large!

Last week, I also documented the Week in My Life and began a long deferred project: purging excess stuff in my creative spaces. I’m really pleased with efforts thus far. And, I’ve been smitten by a new quilting technique and I’m eager to explore it plus I’ve a list of 13 -15 quilting/stitching projects I plan to finish by summer’s end …

May is also another LOAD – Layout A Day – month; each day, we have a prompt that is designed to stir our creative juices and help us get our personal memories documented. So far, I’ve been on track…so far. As I type this, I’ve not a clue about what memory I’m going to document for today; the prompt is superstition, such as throwing salt over your shoulder, crossing your index and 2nd finger, etc…If the prompt doesn’t produce a memory, not a problem – we can tell any story we choose! Works for me …

Kayla’s high school life will soon be over : Prom, May 24 and Graduation, May 29. How can that be? Seems it was just yesterday she was three years old, sitting on the arm of my chair, listening to me read “Wide Mouthed Frog …

It’s good to be back! And guess I’d best get a moveon with today’s layout!

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 4.24.19…

Published on April 24, 2019April 24, 2019 by Honoré9 Comments

I awoke this morning to the sight of a magnificent sunrise, a gentle pink glow in the sky, on rooftops…and quickly gathered my iPhone and donned my robe so that I could step out on the deck and snap a photo or two, bask in the gentle glow. Mornings, mine, are always off to a slow, gentle start, regardless of “when “ I must leave the house …I sip my tea, read, write, sometimes draw/sketch, remember, plan, contemplate, let the morning/day unfold gently…

On this day, next week, we will be in the throes of setting up the quilt show – the doors will open at 10 am, promptly on Thursday…to a crowd of quilters rushing into buy our castoffs: tools; fabrics; patterns; novelty items; etc...”one quilter’s trash another quilter’s treasure…” Three of my four quilts are ready; I finish stitching the binding on the fourth, today!

I have any number of books – new/old; audio/print – in various stages; I’m rather drifting in/out of them. In my ongoing dostadning efforts, I ran across these three titles and decided I might revisit them over the next few days.

The weather forecast for today: sunshine and lovely temps. I plan/hope to take a walk to the Franciscan Monastery early afternoon to view the grounds. I’ve not been at all this season. Who cares about spring allergies?

Joining Kat and others for Unraveled Wednesday here!

unraveled wednesday | 3.13.19 …

Published on March 13, 2019 by Honoré12 Comments

… t’was a morning filled with lots of color, beginning with another spectacular sunrise. I can never see too many and am grateful for absolutely every one…

… to add to my pleasure, my new Vera Bradley iPad case looked just stupendous with the yellow alstroemeria that are at least a week old… a flower bouquet I can never have too many and am grateful for absolutely every one that greets me in the morning…

… after MSQT, I deliberately took myself to my sewing studio and “quilted” my second convergence quilt piece. The quilting – if you are not a quilter – is called stitch-in-the ditch and follows the seam lines of the quilted pieces. My next steps are:

bury the threads from the quilting;
sew the binding strips together;
machine stitch one edge to the front of the quilt perimeter;
decide whether to hand or machine stitch the back side of the binding.

I’m aiming to have this piece in the finished column week’s end…

…on the reading front, I finished Gretchen Rubin’s Outer Order Inner Calm. This is a quick read – just 215 pages filled with all sorts of pithiness – and one I think/expect to read more than once, again, soon! I was amused when I read the suggestion, p.18: “Use technology to clear clutter. ” Gretchen asks: “Why hang on to possessions replaced by technology? and then states … “(Though it does seem like sacrilege not to own a physical copy of a dictionary.) I so agree!

Time for me to create some order at my workstation, take a walk and listen to Gretchen’s latest Happier podcast, bury some threads on the convergence quilt and tackle a few more items on my list. No time to procrastinate!

Joining Kat and friends here!

Cheers~