Autumn Quilt Squares

Summer has been beautiful. Yet I must confess I am ready for fall. Summer in the mountains can be bright and sometimes harsh. The red mountains against the vibrant blue sky and green grass is amazing. But...I'm ready for the faded colors of fall. I love the days when the yellow aspen leaves seem to shine against the dusky grey of the sky. So, I put all my other projects to the side and started pulling out fabric scraps. I found enough of these autumn colors to begin. I made two wonky squares 12" x 12". I love not having a true pattern but just putting strips together as I go.

And then I just couldn't help myself and I put a little bird from some Ikea fabric behind the big blue rectangle.

Ikea fabrics

My mother sent me three Ikea fabrics for my birthday.

They are so much fun.

What will I create with them?

This one is so funky.

Love these houses. It is a light weight material and the houses are so big, it will have to be a consciously thought out project.

This will become some pillows for my couch. Very autumnal motif.

New Baby Quilt

I'm working on a new baby quilt. Little Eloise is already 9 weeks old, so I'm a bit behind in this birthday present. I have been in a creative slump. And unslumping yourself is hard to do. But recently, I discovered the joys of reverse applique and found some inspiration in a little bird. I pulled out some scraps and began playing. I do believe this little bird square will propel me back into the world of creation.

Here is my process, and the first square in Eloise's baby quilt.

Lately it seems that bird silhoette motives are everywhere in designs. I found this bird online with a quick Google search. I printed out the outline and cut it out. Google image searches are so great for finding inspirational shapes and designs.

I love to upcycle old clothing. On the back is fabric from an old pair of Banana Republic pants. Somehow, I never quite found the right occasion for purple pants. So, I cut them up and made a scarf. The leftovers are going in this quilt.

The bird has flown onto my square of pink paisleys. I drew around it with a disappearing ink marker and sewed that line with brown thread.

After sewing around the bird, I used embroidery scissors to cut the top fabric out.

This is definitely the rough method for this technique. It will fray, but not much. And I like the folksy look to it.

On the back side, I trimmed the purple fabric down.

I put together some simple edges of brown in different widths and then sewed some brown strips into a swatch of those purple pants.

Trimmed them to size.

The first square!

I sure do like creating quilts without too much of a plan. I know this is not the way most people do it. But I like the freedom of it. We'll see how it goes.

Ten On Ten

Ten On Ten.
http://tenontenphotojournal.blogspot.com/

Here is the day-in-the-life photography project.

On the tenth of the month, you take a photo an hour for ten consecutive hours.
You blog your photos and share them with the Ten On Ten Photo Journal site.

Here is my day in ten photos.
Some were taken by my two-year-old.
I originally attached captions to all of them, but then decided to let the images stand alone.

The day began around 6 am. Yet, the first picture happened later...

Thoughts on this project:

1. This is a project about the present moment. It is a meditation. It is beautiful.
2. I really want a better camera.
3. I tend to capture the nice moments and can't "step outside of myself" to capture the difficult ones. (How do I take a photo while holding the legs of my babe who just pooped everywhere and is trying to grab it while my toddler is laughing and pointing?)
4. I really want a better camera.
5. Life is amazing and every moment is precious.
6. I really want a better camera.
7. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see the day in these little moments.