February AAQI quilt

Hope Rises

8" x 10.5"

I realized the other day that I hadn't made my AAQI mini for this month.  I belong to the quilt-a-month club at AAQI, and I haven't missed a month in a year.  I didn't want to start now.  I had drawn out a sketch for this one a while ago while I was waiting for Bella at dance class.  I wanted a Phoenix-like bird rising from the dark into the light.  This morning, I pulled my blacks and whites and created the background strata.  I then pulled what I thought were going to be really bright colors for the bird.  They are not nearly as bright as I thought they were going to be.  They are very spring like.  Hey - that symbolism works okay for what I wanted.  Spring is rebirth and hope.  Once I got everything cut out and appliqued on, I started building pebbles at the bottom where it was solid black.  I used a variegated King Tut by Superior in a really light mix so they would stand out.  Then, I put some FMQ feathers on the bird and some wavy lines going up from the pebbles.  The binding is another batik that is very spring like in this piece.

It was very interesting creating a piece like this.  I haven't done that much FMQ except overall stippling, so I really had to concentrate on what I wanted it to look like.  I didn't want to pebbles to look uniform or perfect, and that was no problem.  Ha ha.  I think I could have put more feathers on the bird, but I wasn't sure where to go with that, so I stopped while I was ahead.

I am not sure how much studio time I will have this weekend, so I may not be back until Monday.  Until then, joyful quilting everyone.

Happy Valentine's Day

Stash Bee Blocks

I think I mentioned that I am the queen bee for Hive #2 over at Stash Bee.  I decided I want to create a rainbow quilt with string blocks.  I am so excited about the blocks that have been coming my way.  I just got a squishy from the UK today.  There are 20 members in this hive, and I have asked for one or two 8.5" blocks from everyone.  I said they didn't have to be trimmed.  It is so much fun to see all the fabrics.  The siggy blocks are great because they list the names and the places of origin.  For now, I will just keep adding the blocks to the design wall as I get them.

I have been doing other things, but I can't show them for now.  One, I will post tomorrow, but it is a surprise for now.

I will be with Bella for the next three days.  Until Friday, joyful quilting, everyone.

The last house

Here she is.  The last house for the wonky house swap.  This African Hut created itself, practically.  I had a pile of scraps on the cutting table from other projects, and they asked to be made into a hut.  Do your scraps ever talk to you, or is it the diet I am on that has turned my mind toward hallucinations?  Anyway, this is the last one I am making for now.  I need 11 to send in for the swap.  The object was to make 12, then decide which one to keep.  That choice was becoming very difficult.  I wanted so many, and Tom wanted other ones.  This way, I don't have to choose.  I can make the 12th one after I get my 11 back from the bee and see just what is needed to make that quilt work best.  And, I have photos of all the others in case I want to recreate one of them.

This is a pretty pitiful showing for an entire day, but I am off my game these days.  My body has been invaded by a pesky and irksome bacteria, and my doctor has put me on some hideous medicine to get rid of it.  The bacteria is less annoying than the side affects of the antibiotic.  I am a big believer in the development of all modern medicine, but I think we may have gone a bit over the top with some of it.  I won't get on my soap box here, so rest easy.  I only have to take this terrible stuff for another couple of days, then I should be as good as new, and back in a creative frame of mind.

Hopefully, I will be somewhat productive tomorrow.  I have siggy blocks to make, and blocks to mail.

Until then, joyful quilting everyone.

(By the way, for anyone intrigued by my diet statement above, I have lost 23 pounds since January 1, and almost 4 inches around my middle.  I am on my way to a new streamlined me.)