HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'll be busy handing out candy at DGD;s preschool in the morning, and at trunk-or-treat at church in the evening.  Have fun and stay safe!

SNOWPERSON PROGRESS

 

The production line is all ready to roll:  Statbilizer cut in pieces for the backing, 12 fused blocks ready for white stitching, noses and arms cut, buttons for eyes and cap, floss for top of cap.  Away we go!

SNOWING IN FLORIDA

 

It's hard to make a snowman in Florida before it melts!  This is my first prototype block for a swap on Dear Jane Alternate group.  Here on out it will be production line work, twelve at once.

I hear Sandy may be bringing snow to New England.  Geesh!  She just brought lots of wind here, occasional rain, and those classic hurricane band clouds.  Good weather for staying in and stitching!

MORE DUTCH TREAT BLOCKS

I finished two more Dutch Treat blocks this week.

 

5 of Diamonds

 

 

 

 

And Squirrels

 

Progress, slow but sure.

MINI SWAP QUILT ARRIVES

 

Look what arrived yesterday!  It's my mini-swap quilt from Zoe in South Africa!!!  I just love the colors, and the beautiful trellis borders.  The stitching is so nice, and those button embellishments really make it pop!

 

She included that lovely spoon, which has ethnic beadwork made by rural women in Kwazdu Natal.  I just love that sort of thing, where purchasing it helps the women support themselves.

 



There are two labels on the back, making it even more special.

The packaging was pretty special too -- a tube with tons of cool stamps.  We actually got pretty excited about that too!

So the mini I created went to Australia, and the one living on my sewing room wall came from South Africa.  Making quilting friends around the world, one swap at a time.  Love it!

WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: Rebekah

 

 

 

 

I reread the story of Rebekah last night. Again my block was made a couple years ago, but this is what I wrote at the time.

I used blue to represent the stream or well where Rebekah said just the right words. The tan represents the camels, so many in number, which she offered to water. The green is for the jealousy and rivalry between the brothers. I also planned to use the right contrast of fabrics to make the cross appear. 

I think sibling rivalry is a normal thing, but favoritism by parents is something else again. And Rebekah's trickery to ensure the blessing for her favorite son, hmmmm........................

 

Each time I go through this bible study, I get more out of it.  Welcoming Hand block is used to represent Rebekah.  Making the quilt block to go with the woman of the bible sure helps me remember her story, her place in history.

ROBOTS

I'm so sorry, but word verification is back, to prove you are not a robot.  While my spam detector did catch most of them, I'm spending way too much time making sure there are no spam comments on my blog.  Please comment as you always have.  Thanks!

ANOTHER DUTCH TREAT BLOCK

This week I stitched Lattice.  I had it about 1/2 done yesterday.  We had grands overnight, and today went to a park.  It was so nice stitching outside on a park bench as they played.  These blocks are so portable -- this is the first one I've done away from home -- but not the last, LOL!  I see a little warp in my lattice.  That's ok.  If it were aged, it would be.

Hope all my followers are having as wonderful a weekend as I am.  Two of our grands for an overnight.  Church, smocking class, and an open house tomorrow.  All is well in the universe.

We had a 'cold front' FL style.  That means we now are into dry weather (as opposed to humid), and it is not hot or cold.  Just perfect weather to be comfortable in shorts and short sleeves.  Love it!  Bedroom windows are open for sleeping tonight.

GRANDMOTHER'S CHOICE: ALICE'S FLAG

This week's block  for the Grandmother's Choice quilt is Alice's Flag.  It is reminiscent of the flag Alice Paul made.  She used three panels, and then added an askew star every time a state ratified voting for women.  The 19 amendment had been introduced in the late 1800/s, and was brought up again and again at every session.  What the women wanted was a national ammendment that would allow all women in the USA the right to vote, as state by state ratification of the 19th amendment was so slow.

LOTTO BLOCKS

Last night I made these 12" blocks for a small group Block Lotto I'm in.  On the left is my October entry, and while I had the black and whites out, I decided to stitch Nov. too.  I love black and white blocks with a touch of whatever.

WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: LOT'S WIFE

This week we are studying Lot's Wife.  I completed my my Crossroads block 1/30/08, and my journal thoughts from that time follow.

In pondering the quilt block for Lot's wife, I have several thoughts.  What would Sodom look like with the burning sulfur raining down?  Would it be red and blinding?  Would it be white and gray ash, reminiscent of the pictures of the towers on 9/ll?  In the end I've decided to make the "stripes" of increasing urgency to look back dark.  Dark represents the evils of Sodom that Lot's wife was so reluctant to let go of.  I'm combining that with blue, the light.  That's a color I associate with heaven.

DREAMY BEACH

Yesterday I put my row robin quilt together.  I'm naming it "Dreamy Beach" and it will go on the wall of my guest room.  I hope it helps my guests have balmy dreams.

 

Here's a close up of the top. The top row is sunrise/sunset, rippling on the water from Angela. She's so creative -- the ripples and blending colors are perfect.  The next row is beach umbrellas. I love how Cindy D. slanted them, and made perfect shadows! Third is my starter theme row, with paper pieced cabanas and palm trees.

 

 

The fourth row is pails and shovels from Terry.  She used dimensional handles on the pails (ribbon attached with buttons), and added sea shells too.  Carol sent the flip-flops.  Each pair is unique and has embellished straps.  There's also a little applique crab at the bottom, suggested by her granddaughter.  The bottom row is from Linda.  She made the beautiful fish swimming through the sea weed. It's so realistic how they are swimming in and out.

 

Here's a close up of the border fabric.  The green is all beach names, and the corners are beach clothes hanging on the line.  They're from Lucy's Crab Shack by Moda.

 

 

I wanted to give this quilt proper documentation, so I used the blocks from Cindy F. to embellish the labels from each participant, and well as the long one from me in the center, explaining the whole thing.  This will be part of the backing, not attached afterward.

 

My quilt exceeded my expectations.  I'm so touched to be in a group of such caring women who put so much effort and love into the rows they make for others.  I only know Carol in person.  The others are on-line quilting friends.

 

We each set our own theme, made our starter row, added some fabric to be used or not, and sent the pack around the circle.  The 'owner' sets the rows together to her own liking when she gets them back.  I'll be sharing some of the other rows belonging to other gals in this swap, as they get back to their owners.  It's all secret until then, so I couldn't share what I made for them as we went along.



DUTCH TREAT: WOODEN SHOE

I love this pattern.  So Dutch, so Dansko (really, doesn't it look like those comfy Dansko shoes too?).  This time I'm trying a batik on top.  While it looks like it shadows more in this pic, in person it doesn't.  Plus you can't beat batik for not raveling on the very tiniest pieces.  I'll probably go with this fabric combo (a decision will be made by block10!)

WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: HAGAR

This week we are studying Hagar, and we are using the Wandering Foot quilt block for her.  I completed this block on 1/21/08, and this is from my journal at that time.

I used a mottled tan for the background to represent the desert.  Hagar must have been very frightened being alone with Ishmael wandering in the desert, after being cast out by Abraham and Sarah.  I have desert camped with full provisions, and with loved ones and friends with me.  Still the desert is so vast, so foreboding.  You'd better have what you need with you, or hope one of the other families has it, to survive.

The green is for the occasional scrubby brush or bush in the desert, which is where Hagar put her son down, when they could not go on any longer.

The blue in the center is the life-giving well that Hagar saw when she opened her eyes.  Even in the desert there's water.

I used vibrant rose also.  Although Hagar was a foreigner, a slave, a woman, a nobody, she was SEEN by God.  He saw her struggles.  He was there for her.  He provided.  Not only collectively seen, as in God sees His people, but Hagar, herself, individually was seen.  When you look at my block, the first thing you notice is the vibrant rose.  It represents that God sees us on an individual, personal, level.

WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: SARAH

This is my block for Sarah, completed on 1/16/08.  Here's my journal from then:

I chose three fabrics that each have lines to their pattern for Sarah for two reasons.

First is all the moving with Abraham.  We have lived many places, but never in a house long than now, and that is just not quite 5 years yet.  Move, move, move.  I get it.  Some of the lines are straight, some are curvy, but they all just keep going, and going.  Also we moved to Saudi Arabia for my husband's job in 1981 and stayed 13 years!  That was a culture shock move.  I get it.

Second the lines literally are there to represent the lineage of the nation started by Sarah and Abraham.  Some lines are straight, representing their blood decendants.  Some are curvy representing all the others in their flock.

The colors are bright and radiant, representing Sarah's great beauty.

The block isn't perfect, and that is just perfect with me.  In hindsight (of course I aimed for a perfect block), the imperfections represent that Sarah wasn't perfect either and neither are we.  God loves us and still finds a useful place for us anyway, just as this square will ind a place in my WOB quilt.

WOMEN OF THE BIBLE

If you've read my blog for a few years, you know that one of my very long term projects is the Women of the Bible Quilt.  This group, found here, was really my first on-line quilting adventure.  I was looking for an on-line bible study when this popped up.  For me it's perfect -- combining women of the bible with quilting.  Each week we study one woman and make a quilt block representing her.  It's a great way for me to retain the knowledge about the woman, by making a block about her.

The group started back up last month, back to the beginning with Eve.  I'm following along and posting on the group, but I haven't put my progress here, because it's been here before.  Someone in the group, said why not put them on my  blog again, and I agree.  So I'm going back to Eve and posting here.  If it looks and reads like deja vu to you, it's because it is..

I completed Eve, Garden of Eden, block 1/9/08 and this is what I journaled at that time:

I chose red for the center, as to me it represents childbirth and Eve being the mother of all humankind.  I suppose it could also be taken for the forbidden fruit in the garden, but that was not my thought at the time.  I was thinking of the strong emotions of childbirth.

The green is for the lush garden and the yellow is the sunshine filtering through.

The readings about Eve have put a new light on her.  I always thought of her as the one who caved in and ate the forbidden fruit.  But especially the "Lost Women of the Bible" put a whole new perspective on Eve, and what she must have gone through.  She was indeed a strong woman.

In my journal I then follow up with what was happening in my life personally at that time.  It makes a nice record.

I'll be catching up with Sarah next, and then onto Hagar, whom we are studying this week.

THREE MORE DUTCH TREAT BLOCKS

I've finished three more Dutch Treat blocks.

Dandelion

 

Daisy

 

Bean Bags

 

I'm pretty sure I'll go with the fabric combo in the first two, which means Bean Bags will be redone.  This is really a learning curve in applique, and it's been a long time since I've done much.  Feels so go to be back with needle and thread.



BLOCK BASE SEW ALONG

The BlockBase Sew Along starts today, Oct. 1, on the EQ blog.  They will be doing one block every two weeks.  The idea, for me, is to learn to use the software.  I recently got it to assist in the Barbara Brackman BOW on Women's Suffrage, as all of the blocks in that quilt are from BlockBase.

BlockBase gives a wealth of historical information about each block, and is from Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Blocks.  It's the result of 20 years of research for Barbara, and includes blocks from 1835 to 1970.

Click here or on the link on my left side bar to read more about the Sew Along.