~ Dinner for Eight: II ~

So I am well aware that my blogging skills as of late have been less than stellar.

The truth is that I took some time out to make some things for my grand kids and  ... the Boy Scouts. The work for my local 11-year old troop, involved sewing a flag that was embellished with a rabbit.

A Nuclear Powered Killer Rabbit to be specific.

But, I digress.

Before starting those other fun projects, I had already decided on my next Sea Quilts adventure and had already set aside my piles of fabric ... paint.

I decided to reprise my very first Art Quilt, which has long since sold and is no longer in my possession. I am pretty excited not to be starting from Square One, especially since Square Two (the fabric picking process) is my favorite Square of all.

And what is your favorite part of the creative process?

`

~ Supplies ~ Shopping ~

So ... I was gone last week on a quick jaunt over to (my former home of) 

the great state of Arizona.

The purpose of my trip was to see friends ... which I did with abandon ... but also to stock up on a few needed supplies.  Along with shopping at my former place of employment, Bernina Connection, I also happened upon the happy accident that was the AQS Show where I spent one day and a whole lot of moola.

One of the "needs" on my list were some fabrics with sparkle.  Let's face it, the ocean is sparkly. Imagine my delight when I came across a table chock full of sparkly fat quarters at The Fat Quarter Queen.

The greatest thing that I came away from the AQS Show with was pure, unadulterated inspiration from the multitude of talent that was there for the viewing. And inhaling. But ... not touching.

Thank you Arizona. Thank you AQS.  

Thank you LifeLong Friends!

~ Coastal Sunglass Cases ~

So ... I have been busy.  Busy picking a new set of fabrics every 30 minutes which pretty much put me in a heavenly state.  The picking of fabrics is my favorite part of this process, although all the others fall closely behind.

I have been busy making eyeglass/sunglass cases that are now for sale on my Etsy Shop.

First: Octopi, as seen above.

Next: Sea Horses.

And last but not least: Surfboards.

And just in case you were wondering ... the tornado that attacked my fabric shelves during this process ... was tamed.  

It was a very good week.

~ A Happy Mess ~

A work in progress.

Surrounded by mess.

Note to self:  Clean Studio.

Later.

~ The Spice of Sea Life ~

 

 

 

 

 

Most quilters who have been at it for a number of years, tend to lean towards a certain style or palette of colors.

About 5 years ago, when I made my choice as to where I would lean ... I chose the subject matter.

Having chosen to sew all things coastal, I have opened up my heart, mind and ... stash ... to a myriad of possiblilites.  This has been ever so apparently (and delightfully fun!) to me these past few weeks as I have worked on this project.

I am making iPad covers to sell here  at The JOY Expo this Saturday, June 8th.
With every single one, I tried to envision some new individual's style and palette, while still able to keep to my subject matter.

It has been an absolute JOY.

~ The Color (Day): Purple ~

I didn't even realize I had anything from my home to post in this color range until I realized that I just keep seeing it ... outside ... and that it warms my heart every single time.

The lovely blossom above is  from a walk very near my home.

As I perused my beach pictures, I realized there was an abundance of purple:
  

 I love how it is heightened by all the blue.

Yum.

More deliciousness ... surrounded by white ... surrounded by green.

Always wanting to bring a bit of the beach into my home, I picked these lavender lovelies when I repotted some things on my porch a couple of weeks ago.

And then this weekend as I was starting yet another sea quilt ... and yet wanting it to have a hint of autumn ... I found myself in my stack of purples. 

I'm very excited.

Now, if we could just have some autumn temperatures around here, I could really be happy!

~ Solid Evidence ~

Prints are charming, let's face it.

However ...

.... there is something to be said for solids.

Actually, they speak very well for themselves, thank you very much.

Lately I have felt the need to have more solid fabrics in my stash.
This new direction may or may not have started when I purchased these file folders.

They spoke to me.  And what they said was --
"Buy some solid fabrics for the stash."
So I did.

Then I found myself pairing some of them up with some two-tone graphic prints to accentuate the bright colors.
  

Now they are part of my "project basket" which sits on the cutting table and tries to keep things organized.

This particular project makes me feel giddy.

What is your feeling on solid colored fabrics?
Are you feelin' the need?

EEK!  My Shore Thing pillows were featured over here. Woo. Hoo.

~ Polka Dots in Nature ~

I really do love polka-dots.

I see them everywhere!

Linking to:
Creative Me!
The Girl Creative
Coastal Charm

~ Just Dotty ~

My love of dots dates back to my childhood ... and that is a lot of dating, if you get my drift. I saw this picture in Better Homes & Gardens and immediately added it to the "file". I love the contrast of the different colors ... and different sizes ... amid the dottiness. The fact that some checks and toile are thrown in the mix, just makes my heart skip a beat.

I love these blue dot pillows that breathe happiness into my guest room. Again ... the contrast with the calico is actually what pulls the formula together: Dots + PrettyMuchAnything = Happy.

And then there is "the stash". Percentage-wise, I have so many dots that I am pretty much obligated to put some in (almost) every quilt that I sew.

I try to live up to my obligations as an upstanding citizen.

How about you? What pattern consistently makes you sigh?

~ The Thrill of the Hunt ~

After all of these years making quilts, there is definitely a hierarchy in my mind as to the thrill of the process, and to me ... the absolute peak of the thrill is in this, the second step. The first step is putting my idea about the theme and layout on paper which is splendid fun, believe me, but the second step involves picking out the fabrics and that ... my dear, colorful friends ... is what it's all about.

Another important point to understand is that this step is accomplished in the privacy of my teeny-tiny sewing room, not amidst the shelves and shelves of bolts at a fabric store. Oh ... don't get me wrong ... I spend plenty of time in fabric stores, but when I purchase my fabric it is not neccessarily with any specific project in mind, I simply purchase fabric because it speaks to me and I am forced to buy it.

Then ... when the hallowed second step is at hand ... I peruse the (slightly smaller) stacks of fabric in my own, personal store. I pull them down, sometimes cutting off strips and snippets and make a huge, delightful mess. This step can be frowned upon at the fabric store, but it's welcomed and in fact, heartily encouraged here.

Now I will go on to say that this particular pile of wavy blue heaven was purchased over a year ago and I did have a particular project in mind when I purchased it. Odd.

Today I am forced to stay at home while my freshly painted front door dries. I'll be working on the third step in the process ... joining the fabric with the idea in wedded bliss.

Today is a good day.