Fresh Perspectives

We can all use them, can't we.
And if they come in the form of a new, exciting quilt book, even better!

I love this book, Fresh Perspectives, just released by C&T Publishing. My friends Bobbi Finley and Carol Jones are the authors. They did some very exciting work, interpreting some traditional quilts in the collection of the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska and remaking them in a contemporary way.



Carol and I both fell in love with the same quilt there. A little Amish quilt, circa  1910 - 1930. And we both made interpretations of it. They included mine in the book:

I've wanted to show it to you for a long time, but waited for the book to come out. The center squares are batiks, the rest are from my stash: some quilt prints, some shirts, some indigos. It was great fun to make!

I'm also finding the book a great help as I work with some vintage blocks passed on to me by a friend cleaning out her sewing room. It's going to be a great reference for some of us who try to use old blocks in contemporary ways. I've already recommended it to a friend wanting to use some nine-patches in a quilt. Stay tuned, you will hear more about ways I'm using this book.

The Other Side of the Skirt

Here is side 2.

Skirt Side2

And a favorite block - I love these shapes:

What a skirt!

Skirt side1

I am recuperating and doing well, slowly but surely. A friend knew just the tonic I needed - she hauled me to a tag sale. In the garage, hidden by mounds of polyester fabrics, I found this skirt.

Ok, a high fashion item - it is NOT. But it is a little goldmine of fabric blocks from the 1960s and a bit past (you'll note a few '50s pieces). It's in mint condition: if it was worn, it was only a careful time or two. The blocks are mostly 3 1/2" square. The maker went to the same home ec class I did - notice how carefully she pinked all the edges (so they would not ravel) and pressed them open. The hem is finished with hem tape. And the price was just right for thrifty Deb: $1.

I'll post photos the other side and a favorite block in a few days. If you see other blocks you'd like to see a closeup view of, let me know. The fabrics are fabulous! I notice Denyse Schmidt's new fabric line is homage to the 1970s (the Monkees, etc.). THIS ONE is pure Laugh In! (Watch this and you'll see why we thought throwing water at people was so acceptable ... )

Visions are Dancing in my Head

Sometimes life just takes over.
And we have to go with it right?

That is how my life has been for the past weeks.

Our girls moved to Austin! I am so excited for them, it helps me not miss them so bad. After all, today we can text, and skype and tweet!

NOW I am having some surgery. I've been slowed up lately, this will help me get my energy back. Fingers crossed.
I am going into it with wonderful ideas of quilts to come.

One with custom Barack Obama fabric. Yes! details to come.

Another, a reproduction of a Frank Lloyd Wright window. Here's a peek at it.....would this make a great quilt or what!

And then there is the improv work. It continues, even if I haven't had time to get it on the blog for you.
But I will.
I'll be back soon!

A Very Big Rug

We recently stayed in a cabin in La Veta, Colorado for a week. There are endearing things all over the cabin like little notes about where to leave the trash in town, where to hike, how to fix certain things….

The living room is dominated by this big handmade rug. It is similar to the toothbrush rugs I make, but this one is crocheted and is very thick. It is circular and measures about 7’ across.

When we arrived, we noticed a big stain on the rug. Looks like someone spilled a cup of coffee on it. I decided our cabin improvement project would be removing the stain.

We hauled it out onto the wood deck, a great place to clean a rug in the summer. First we shook it. Then I got some detergent and scrubbed the stains. Then we took water and doused the entire rug to freshen it up and remove the soap..

Being so large – and in a canyon with limited sunlight - it took several days to dry.

I’m checking with the family to see if they know who made this spectacular rug. It makes the living room very homey and comfortable.