Crayon Box Colors

When I worked at the quilt shop,

it was always a challenge to interpret what

color a customer was looking for when they asked for

a "crayon box color".

A "crayon box color" is a  color word,

like:

Hunter Green

Desert Sand

Sunset Orange

Based on experiences or the ready 

availability of a crayon box, we each

could have a different interpretation  of 

what that lovely color looks like.

  Last week as I making some progress on 

my February wool transition project,

or my 11 Progress Process Plan

 I remembered another reason why

I had quietly set this project aside.

The pattern listed the required wool with color names.

I had gotten frustrated looking for the 

right colors to fit the names.

I needed:

spring green

meadow green

grass green

sage green

moss green

holly green

evergreen

I could definitely see the  differences,

but those descriptions or words just got in my way.

I finally reminded myself to use my eyes instead.
I really needed

7 greens ranging from light to dark,
and from bright to muddy.

That helped me.

I also needed:

Christmas Red

Garnet

Saltware

Rust

Wine 

and others

I really needed 8 reds that worked well together

and had enough difference that you could tell

one from the other.

I love the names of colors.

I love the images that it brings to mind.
 Wouldn't you love to have a job where you got to

name the color on paint chips or crayons:

Timber Wolf

Tickle Me Pink

Cedar Chest

Aqua Pearl

With this project
I just needed to use my eyes to 

select my colors and

not  get hung up on a those fun
descriptive words.
It worked better when I did.

Until Next Time-

To Go or Not To Go

On Saturday evening Running Man and I were
having fun trying a new Rick Bayless recipe 

when I casually checked the weather forecast...

Winter Storm Warning!

Not a great forecast.

I needed to make a decision...

drive back to Denver in the dark,

or wait and see about the snow on Sunday.

It was an easy decision,
my instincts told me

 I needed to head back.

Driving in blizzard conditions on the interstate

isn't what I wanted to look forward.

I would have laid in bed trying to

count the snowflakes during the night.

I hated to cut my weekend at home short, but
 I repacked my unwashed laundry,

my quilty stuff,

made a quick stop for gas, 

and headed back to Denver.

Thankfully, I beat the snow and 

avoided any dangerous conditions on the highways.

I wouldn't have been so fortunate on Sunday.

The best part about snow, unless you're a skier,

is seeing it through the eyes of little children.

Don, Sanford and Elizabeth

It took longer to get everyone bundled up

than the time that they were outside.

Everyone's noses turned pink,

but we were all safe and snuggled in
waiting for the sun to come out tomorrow.

Until Next Time-

Why Do I Do That!

No matter what job you're doing,

the tools can influence the outcome.

Taking a tree down with a dull saw blade

would be impossible.

Our neighbors were having 2 giant cottonwood

trees removed.
The huge one that was between our yards

took a small part of  our little privacy fence with it.

It might refer to the adage,

 "measure twice, cut once"
Thank goodness very little damage was done.

The other day when I was rethreading needles,
I took the time to look at them carefully.

I had realized some of them were slightly bent
when I was using them.
But really,
why was I continuing  to use these
bent needles!
Cost? No
Laziness? Yes

Okay, enough.
Out with the bent ones and
in with some new straight ones.
You just have to have the right tools
to do a good job,
even if it's just a needle.

Until Next Time-

Progress?

Some days are just more 

productive than others,

but no matter what happens or

doesn't happen

we're continually moving forward.

That is, of course, if you're not 

literally moving backwards.

Yesterday my quilting progress

consisted of this:

threading 30 needles and 

winding them onto my needle dome.

I guess I could feel some what defeated.

It's a pretty small "forward" activity.

But

 the next time I do have an opportunity
to sit down and quilt

I'll be ready!

It's all about your perspective.

Until Next Time-

Itching To Get To Work

Here it is the middle 

of February
and I need to get

started on my February transition project.

I love working with wool and have 

done lots projects over the years,

but I always forget how wool makes

my hands feel.

They get very tingly.

Not really itchy,

more like little pins lightly pricking my fingertips.

Tracing the pattern on to the fusible web

was no problem, no wool involved.

Deciding which pieces should be fused with which wool pieces

involved touching lots of wool.

Here comes the tingle.

Cutting out the pieces, of course, is next.

Every so often

I needed to give my hands a break.

I've always been sensitive to wool, but I

think the dry cold weather has increased that sensitivity.

Now I could wear gloves while I buttonhole stitch, 

but I might end up stitching my gloved fingers to the block.

I'll just have to work bare handed.

What we quilters are willing to endure!

Until Next Time-

Your Eyes Can Fool You

 Last week I added my quilt along block to 

Lori's Abundance Linky Party.

I had worked on that block,

I had photographed that block,

I had posted about that block and

then linked it for everyone to see.

It's funny how sometimes our eyes 

see only what we want them to see.

 Notice anything?

I have a goose doing it's own thing!

Now that's all I can see when I look at this block.

Funny how I couldn't see it before.

I was going to leave it there and

have the humble thing going on,

but I just couldn't.

I got Jack the Ripper out and 

got that goose heading in the right direction.

I have kept working on this project and 

sewed a few more blocks and 

set them together side by side.

I like the secondary patterning.

I'm thinking of making a couple more blocks

for a total of 6, adding a border,

and using it as a baby quilt.

I have looked very carefully so

my eyes aren't deceived,

But sometimes you only see what

you want to see.

Until Next time-

Endless Possibilities

Isn't it amazing how many 

wonderful ideas and variables there are

to consider

when making a quilt...

color,

pattern and design,

fabric,

the quilting,

the finish...

Stop and day dream for awhile.

Until Next Time-

A Transition

I may be wishing for spring,

but it is still winter here.

So until the tulips are in bloom,

 my next project 

from my 11 PPP list, 

or my 11 project progress plan,

is a combo of wool and spring flowers.

I'm calling it my transition project.

It's Lisa Bongean's Folk Art Album pattern.

I've had it prepped for quite awhile,

wool, flannel, and the perfect perel cottons threads

all collected together.

It's interesting to think about
 the different factors that can 

cause me to get distracted and abandon
a project I love and move on to something else.

It can be as simple, as seeing what someone else is working on,

or it can be the complications of life.

It can be a mistake that I've made that can halt me right
in my tracks especially if it seems too big of a huddle
at the time,

or if I don't have all of the supplies handy it can
cause me to look for fun somewhere else.

The reason I stopped on this particular project
was not having all the right colors of perel cottons threads.
 It meant remembering to bring
the color numbers that I
needed when I went to the only shop
in the area that carries the Valdani brand.

Not a big deal, but by then I had moved on.


But over the course of a year,
 I have collected what I needed and

I'm ready to tackle this sweet wool applique project again.

It will be the perfect transition into spring,
some wool for the cold days left
and the flowers designs for the anticipation of warm days to come.

Until Next Time-

February Means Hearts

It's February already,

It's a month filled with heart felt thoughts.

I keep this wool heart in my sewing room

It reminds me of the gift of friendship,

and the importance of keeping  those friendships
 close to my heart.

 I love the wool pennies.

February also is a month for chocolates.

 What's not to love about that.

A couple of years ago, I noticed I had
a wonderful collection of  milk chocolate browns
and strawberry pink fabrics.

  Many of these were from a group of 

prints designed by Buggy Barn.

Strawberries and Chocolate Quilt.
2010

It was a perfect Stashbuster's project when
I was teaching that class at my local quilt shop.

The pattern is one of Carrie Nelson's delightful designs
called "Quiet Times".

The blocks are made up of 2 half square triangles

 and 2 quarter square triangles.

It was fun to take a simple block

and create a wonderful secondary pattern based on the placement.

One of the wonderful machine quilters in my area,
Kathy H. did a great job with an overall swirl.

I like how it shows up on the back.

More fun designs on the borders.

All this mention of Strawberries and Chocolate has
me craving something sweet.
I'd better go see if there's anything left in my secret chocolate stash!
Hope so.

Until Next Time-

Surrounded by Vines

Wouldn't it be fun to live in

a cottage covered in vines.

This poor place looks like it might have been a victim
of too many vines.

Vines can be an interesting vertical design element in a garden

or 

even add vertical interest to quilt borders.

I've been continuing to work on the quilt

Midnight Silhouette.

The outside borders are appliqued vines that 

surround the center appliques and pieced blocks.

The bias tape maker is my "go to" tool

for making bias stems.

 The Roxanne's Glue Baste narrow tip

works perfectly adhering those narrow strips

 to the background fabric.

These vines have just a gentle curve.

When  a pattern is primitive style,

the leaf placement can be left up to the quilter

to see what looks best.

Balancing the colors of leaves is also

important and

the simple leave designs are fun and easy 

to applique.

Appliqueing a couple leaves a day is all it took

and the first border is already complete.

I've just had to imagine sitting in my vine covered  cottage,

with a warm fire,

a glass of something good to sip, and 

stitching on my vine border.

Until Next Time-