this and that

Coral-pink seaweed…

Snowy Mt. Baker…

But on our side of the Salish Sea there's only rain, rain, rain.
Good time to start sashing those quilt blocks made 3 years ago?
!#*/

Pieced

A small patchwork block pieced from a shirt and a remnant of quilting cotton. It's a variation of Ohio Square, (a useful reference—McCalls). I enjoyed this bit of hand stitchery, inspired by a little book (pictured below) bought at Daiso.

Mine lacks the awe-inspiring precision of the original, but I felt encouraged enough by my first attempt to cut strips for another, choosing fabric that has a more crisp 'hand'… for better corner points.

And if I can overcome my fear of y-seams, the little hex bag is next on the list.

Flat swap

Ok Kerrie, it's on its way. It's the first blog swap I've participated in, and it was fun and nerve-wracking both.  There's a reason I call myself bad crafter, after all; Kerrie definitely does not fall into that category.

A brief explanation of this (included in your parcel)… it's unfinished for a reason. When sewing pieced fabrics (usually making tote bags), I tend to make a tube that I can then sort of pivot around to look at which combination of fabrics I like—before stitching it flat and boxing the bottom. It can then be used to make whatever you want, a tote bag, a storage bucket, a zipped utility pouch, etc. Hope you like your parcel!

Pet names crazy sampler

vintage, gifted to a friend via a local fabric shop

crazy for tryin'

crazy for cryin'

and crazy for loving you

Patch'd

A Pinterest image from this pinner led to some patching and piecing. Trying to find stuff in my stash emulating the tone and dynamic of the vintage quilt block pictured below was an eye-opening process—it turns out I don't have nearly as much fabric as I think I have. Anyway, I know it's not a clear winner in replicating the original; but it sure was an interesting exercise. The original image (inset top) traces back to a beautiful flickr set and a very interesting blog.  

Oh No! Improv!

If you're as old as the hills (like I am) you'll remember Mr. Bill.
Stupid-funny stop motion super-8 movie clips on the tv show Saturday Night Live in the 70s were as much a part of the social fabric then as 'yo whassup beyatch' is today. 

Well, my thrifting habit brought Mr. Bill back into my life, along with more fabric and more scissors, vintage clothes hangers, buttons and old plastic trays.

So in the spirit of making lemonade when life hands you nice, juicy lemons—I'm off on another round of improv piecing… (nicely explained here)
Hand sewing and improv piecing are the two most relaxing things in my crafty repertoire. 

Finish/Start

Start with two Modern Cross quilt blocks.
Proceed with making many more blocks. Don't stop until Susan Beal says it's ok.

Then, most important, don't stash the pile of blocks away in a tidy pile somewhere. Don't washi tape them to the wall, either, 'cause their wall+cute factor might just weaken your resolve to square the blocks, sew them into strips, decide on batting (then haul your ass out to buy it); cut and assemble the quilt sandwich, then make the binding after puzzling over approximately 14 tutorials on how to do same.

Finish. The. Quilt.
If the thought of quilting it makes you feel faint; then tie it.
(If Alicia does it…
then it's ok by me)