and a new quilt is born...

WHAT?  Yes, you all know how busy I am right now, the deadlines I'm supposed to be missing -- I mean meeting, and everything else in my crazy wonderful life.

My main deadline was the World Quilt Show Florida IV (Mancuso).  My second deadline was the PSLCQ Guild UFO Challenge.  For these deadlines I was going to use the same quilt -- True Colors.  World Quilt Show entries were due by 9/24 and the UFO Challenge is due 10/3 -- seemed totally possible in a crazy sort of way.  Well... it was Wednesday or Thursday when I realized that four days was NOT enough time to quilt True Colors.  So what do you think I did?... seriously... wait for it... I designed a small wholecloth to whip-up over the weekend.  Am I  *bleeping* nuts... YES!  I am *bleeping* insanely nuts, well beyond that of the normal nuts person!  But not really.  A small wholecloth is one design, one fabric, one color thread, and some background fills.  Totally possible over a weekend, remember I said small wholecloth and I'd be using each and every possible hour of that weekend.  The amount of quilting planned for True Colors will probably span out over a two-week period (if not more).  So, True Colors will just debut at a later show -- and, I have failed at my UFO Challenge -- no worries, I can live with both.

So here goes the weekend in photos:

 

Now... the name -- Sidewalk Chalk
Cute huh?  How the heck did this quilt get named that?  Let me start with I did not name this quilt -- and it's a good thing!  Lets go back to me quilting... grey fabric, chambrey to be exact.  I LOVE GREY... it is a problem!  Anyway, you have to realize that while I'm quilting my face is maybe 10-12 inches from the fabric the entire time.  This grey is the color of concrete.  I'm using they most beautiful pastel variegated thread.  All I can see is concrete.  When I spritz the quilt with water to remove markings all I can see is wet concrete!  So... with concrete on my mind I'm thinking of names... hmmmm... concrete?  Pretty thread?... concrete?  You can see this is going no where.  So, texting begins with one of the besties...

Me:  concrete?
Bestie:  you can't call it concrete - that's ugly
Me:  and... it looks like concrete, with candy
Bestie:  no, that just does not sound right
Me:  well, it freaking looks like concrete, cement, call it what you may
Bestie:  sidewalk... and the thread looks like chalk on the sidewalk

and a new quilt was born, thank you Lisa!

Wrong-doings turned RIGHT!

...not really wrong-doings, more like should have been doing something else.

I am behind on customer quilts -- what else is new.  But, the weekends are mine, or at least they should be!  Most of the time I only take one day for myself, but this weekend I took both days - can you believe it!

You've all heard about my latest deadlines... quilt shows, guild challenges, etc.  Well, this weekend I should have been working on True Colors.  Not, nope, didn't happen... I know, I know!  True Colors has two deadlines - I know, something can't have two deadlines... the first one would be THE deadline.  BUT, in this case it really does have two.  The first one being the World Quilt Show Southern States Competition in West Palm Beach.  The entry deadline for that show is 9/24/2012.  Possible... if I quilt like a mad woman, do nothing else, and fall yet further behind on customer work.  The second one being the PSL Crazy Quilters UFO Challenge (read a bit about it here).  That is not due until 10/3/2012.  See - the same quilt can have two deadlines... if I miss the first one it will be bad, but still okay.  I'm babbling...  back to the topic of this post!

Saturday morning I woke up super early, after less than 4 hours sleep (that is my norm lately).  It was a dreary miserable rainy morning so I decided to piece the background of my MCQG challenge.  That would be good and would solve the boring rainy morning.  Well, that is how it started!


[NOTE:  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE MY MCQG CHALLENGE STOP READING NOW]
and... that was your warning!  

And, if you missed the first post, click here!


To catch you all up on my weekend, here's some show and tell -- and being that I'm babbling it'll probably be lots of tell:

Let me say again, I am not a very scrappy person.  I love big blank fabrics so that my quilting pops.  So, this will be a very good attempt at controlled scrappiness!

And there's the fabrics!  Well, some of the fabrics.  Notice, not very many prints.  I am becoming a "fabric snob"  -- no, its not a bad thing, it's just my thing.

And, messiness is starting.. maybe this is why I haven't been piecing that much lately?

Almost done with the darks, dirt, ground, bottom, whatever you want to call it.  Let me share one of my biggest peeves... pressing.  I press seams OPEN.  ALL of them, OPEN!  You don't have to, it's just something I do, I prefer it, but I won't force it on you... well, unless I'm quilting for you, then I'll fill your ear with it.  Oh, and you see that one strange fabric that is so much different than the rest?  Hint:  it's a kinda' calico-ish brown -- that's not mine, that was the swap fabric.

And the lights -- notice the difference in row sizes... trying to keep it interesting -- it's scraps you know?  And look at the darks, see that tiny little braided strip?  Cool huh?  it is from the same fabric as the very far left side (a basket weave), just cut differently.  So far that's my favorite one!

And now, to sew the darks to the lights.  Looking pretty good.  That's pretty much how I saw it in my head.

Now, some of you know how much I love brown.  It is one of my very favorite colors.  Well, I also have a favorite fabric line -- RJR Handsprays.  Eons ago, while still working at the quilt shop, I bought 5 yards of the brown Handspray -- I think it was called chocolate.  Anyway... this is the very last piece of that five yards.  WHAT you say... no worries, after I bought that 5 yards, I bought another 3 yards!  I'm good with the brown!

BUT, since it was the very last piece (hence the word SCRAP), I had to piece two little sections for my tree applique.  Pretty cool huh!

And here's the tree all cut out ready for edge turning:

And here is the tree on the background fabrics.  Looking just like my doodle!  LOVE when things work out the way you planned!  So here is the first peek at Bend

So, now all that's left are the leaves that need to be made and attached to the tree.  There are 33 in the doodle -- not sure how many will actually make it to the quilt.  And to add the text of the quote.  Then all of the applique will need to be stitched down and then quilted.  But I'm thinking I made some great progress this weekend!  Oh, and this will finished to about 40" wide, right now it's about 46".

Shop Hopped

A couple of weeks ago we (me and two of my besties) went on a shop hop.  This was what we consider a super-fun field trip as we no longer have any local quilt shops (LQS), and the fact that when we are together it gets a little crazy -- in a super fun stupidly non-stop giggling sort of way!

In the beginning...
we were driving...
well, Nancy was driving, I was taking pictures, and Natalie was just chilling.

And of course, there was lowered speed limit, so it felt like forever... not really, but you know!

So our first stop was Merritt Island.  A very nice shop (newer, I think) -- super helpful staff!
Sew Central, 353 E Merritt Island Cswy, Merritt Island, FL 32952

I picked up some beautiful grey sunbleached chambray -- and apparently my grey phase is not yet over!  And here is me photo-bombing Natalie's pic:

And, coming back from the island I took a picture while going over the bridge -- this is something I do, like over every bridge... seriously, don't ever travel with me -- I am weird!

Now I wish I had remembered to take a picture at each shop, but that didn't happen.  My attention span got the best of me!  I will post each shops name and address just in case you'd like to go visit them.  They were all pretty great shops!

And some car humor..  It seriously does not take much to amuse me.  This is the cutest little mirror in Nancy's car.

Next on the hop was Quilting Folks, 200 Forrest Ave., Cocoa, FL 32922
and no, not a single picture.  And honestly, the entire day is a blur... but I did pick up two spools of Floriani thread to try out, as per my buddy, McLisa Sipes this is an awesome thread.  I'll let you all know, one day soon, or at least I hope, soon.

And next... The Quilt Place, 575 Barton Blvd., Rockledge, FL 32955

There they are... my besties - Nancy and Natalie!  And upon walking into the store ran into a few of our PSL croonies -- Pat and Gerri...  Lori is missing behind the camera and Marian and Joyce were on their way!

So at The Quilt Place I snookered up a few pieces of fabric -- yellow, green, and brown Kona dimensions -- luscious fabric!!!  I'm thinking a table runner for the dining room!  Don't even hold your breath until it happens.  One day, not necessarily any day in the near future!  Oh, and they had fresh coffee... soooo nice of them!

So by this point we were starving... stah--ving!  Thank goodness Marian and Joyce knew about a place just down the street -- good food, great company -- the makings of a perfect lunch!

And I know the picture is blurry -- the waitress took it.  I was just thankful she took one, didn't want to press my luck.

From there were went to Quilts and Lace, 7720 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL
This was an interesting stop... saw a black satin Latte quilt -- interesting, not very much quilting on it.  We also had tornado warnings... they're always so much fun!  And, I played on their Baby Lock mid arm - and yes, Natalie snapped a picture!

This little "mid-arm" felt like a tiny little microscopic machine, and I was non-regulated stitching using 95% of the motor just playing... seriously -- I'll stay with my Gammill!  But I did stitch away soooo much showing Joyce what is possible that the shop owner told me he was going to charge me for the fabric I just stitched on... ??

Driving to the next stop... craziness ensued... and only three of us will laugh at this...  "you are a BAD leader"!!!

Next on the list was Sewing Gallery, 4501 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32935
It was here at this adorable little shop that I found Yenmet thread.  As I was informed by McLisa, this is awesome thread!  I bought a pale pink opalescent and can't wait to try it!  Also at this shop I found an entire corner of dupioni silk... yum-ness!  All three of us, me, Nancy, an Natalie purchased some.  I will definitely keep this shop on my list!  Warning... nerd alert... here's me being me finding cool thread and beautiful silks! (and that is a kinda' scary look -- I am sure I was in mid-word -- I talk a lot, in case you didn't know)...

It was at this point that Marian and Joyce went on their way, and Nancy, Nat, and I continued hopping.

Next up was Boutique 4 Quilters, 2945 W. New Haven Avenue., Melbourne, FL 32904
This is where our guild recently had a quilters day out.  Great shop, great staff -- beyond friendly and helpful.

Coffee... must have coffee... detour to find something, anything.. McDonalds -- it'll do!  Mocha Frappe coming right up.  Okay, totally recharged, and continue...

It was at this point we experienced GPS meltdown... one GPS unit, a Droid phone, and an iphone... all three different directions... all three.. WRONG!

Well, we're at water... left would be north and right would be south.  We're going right.  All three GPS's told us approximately 6 miles... well guess what... nothingness was in 6 miles... it's 5:45, the shop hop ends at 6:00!  We have all but one stamp on our passports... seriously!  We call, they say we're about 12 miles away... and that they would be more than happy to stay open for us!  Awesomeness!

Here's the final stop for the day!
Marilou's Quilting and Sewing Center, 8802 US 1, Sebastian, FL 32958.
Great people... seriously.  Anyone willing to stay open for three lost wacko quilters is awesome!  It was here that I purchased some amazingly beautiful bridal satin.  OMG, it is a wholecloth waiting to be born!

So, to sum it all up - fantastic day!  Here's a peek at my purchases, well minus the Frappe...

MCQG 2012 Challenge

Well... if you know anything about me, you know I love to share.  Sometimes too much -- if that is at all possible!

It's time to create my Martin County Quilters yearly challenge.  This year is a bit different.  The theme is leaves and it must be scrappy -- oh, and it must contain the certified swapped member fabric.  I lucked out and received a piece of brown fabric.  I can work with brown, it's one of my favorite colors! But, scrappy?  uhhh... scrappy?  Me and scrappy don't usually get along.  I'm a big solid kinda' girl.  But, this is a challenge and if I'm not challenging myself what is the point?    So here's a peek at the rules and my swapped fabric.

I'm secretly laughing because up until a couple of weeks ago I had completely crossed this challenge off my list.  I was finally accepting the fact that I had no ideas, not even a stray thought and I wouldn't be participating this year.  When... suddenly... while walking down the hall... it hit me.  An epiphany!  I'm crazy busy with customer work, as well as my own competition pieces, and also my Journeys Thru Art projects.  No where in my little mind did I think I'd actually be following through with the MCQG challenge.  So now I'm wondering where exactly does this challenge fit into my already over sticky post-it world?!!

Warning:  If you do not want to see my MCQG Challenge -- stop reading now -- oversharing coming right up!  

Way long ago, back when this old broad was in high school, she had an amazing creative writing teacher, Mr. Crosby.  We weren't allowed to use lined paper because it limited your thought.  We were encouraged to write, doodle, graffiti all over our folders to stimulate creativity.  The windows were always open even in the dead of winter -- "cold air is better for thought".  An amazing teacher!  This was truly my most favorite class of all time.  He wrote in my yearbook and those words have stayed with me through all these years...  in a strong wind bend a little and your leaves will stay with you.  That was the epiphany... that little note written in my yearbook, almost eons ago!

So last night I was sitting here and poof.  I doodled out my idea.  It's pretty close to what's in my head.  But as we all know and understand the creative process, things will change, designs will be altered, colors added, things deleted, but here is my beginning idea:

Pretty cool, I think... but hey, it's my idea -- I'm calling it Bend!

And back to that scrappy thing... ugh!  Here are just a few scraps that I've pulled together:

So, what do you think?  Winner?  Good idea?  Sucks?  Let me know!

JTA Door Challenge WINS!

Wow... so much excitement in one morning can give a girl a headache!
But, it's good excitement which results in (if possible) a good headache!

Remember my door challenge...

and all the others in the group:

We entered the Ultimate Guild Challenge at American Quilters Society (AQS) Grand Rapids and we took an Honorable Mention ribbon.  YAY US!  Some people say oh, only Honorable Mention -- ha!  Like I have said a million times before being accepted to a show is fantastic, winning a ribbon is icing.  Super delicious butter-cream icing!  The best part of one of my quilts being at a show... seeing people standing in front of the quilt looking in awe, wonder, and enjoyment -- that is winning, ribbon or not!

Click here for a link to ALL the winners at AQS Grand Rapids -- congratulations everyone!

So, if you are new to my blog, or just happen to have missed all the door goodness, below are some links to previous posts -- because making my door was a super fun, stress-filled, how-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do-that journey!  (Don't be alarmed, some of the older posts are from my other blog.)

http://karenmarchetti.blogspot.com/2012/06/journeys-thru-art-news.html

http://creativelongarmquilting.blogspot.com/2011/11/world-quilt-show-florida-iii.html

http://creativelongarmquilting.blogspot.com/2011/09/omg-she-types.html

http://creativelongarmquilting.blogspot.com/2011/08/door-challenge-update.html

http://creativelongarmquilting.blogspot.com/2011/06/door-challenge-update.html

Super Secret #1 - revealed!

I can now share Super Secret #1

Back in the end of June I received an interesting email.  It was from Machine Quilting Unlimited, you know, the super-awesome machine quilting magazine!  If you don't know about this fantastic magazine, just click the link and go check them out.  It seems that while Clouds in My Latte was hanging at American Quilters Society's show in Paducah back in April, a couple of super nice ladies from MQU were checking it out -- the words "stopped us in our tracks" were used.

Holy crapola, gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!  To think that something I created had the ability to do that.  So I've been teasing and wanting to share with all of you, but didn't want to blurt it out until it actually happened, so.... now that the September/October issue has been printed, I can officially share!  Clouds in My Latte can be found on page 78 under the Noteworthy section.

Make sure you get your copy!

Strong Roots - Art Deco

Some days I surprise myself, and today was one of those days!

It was just yesterday that I posted my Journeys Thru Art Impressionism project.  Yes, just over 24 hours ago!  And you remember me saying how I hate Art Deco and I didn't even want to work on it until the end  *laughing loudly* not only did I think about working on it, I drew it out and finished the block construction today!

I was going to spend today quilting on a customer quilt, but it was a rough attention day... I was truly bouncing all over the place.  So I did nothing, putzed... all morning, into early afternoon.  Well while I was eating lunch I doodled out my Art Deco block.  Wow, that worked out.  After lunch I was quite rammy (from too much putzing - also known as boredom), and getting cranky (sounds like a toddler I know, but its true).  So I put all that aggravated energy to good use... I started my Art Deco block.  I figured why waste the crankies?!!  I told myself, I'm already in a rotten mood, get on with it and do what you don't feel like doing!

And bam, it was done!   I don't even have pictures of the process because it happened so fast -- I was on a serious roll and wasn't stopping!

It's not yet quilted and still needs to be trimmed to size, but it is created!

To keep with my previous JTA post, here is the brief lesson on Art Deco:

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/artdeco/artdeco.htm

Art Deco is a decorative style that is essentially an extension of the French Art Nouveau and English Aesthetic styles, but also includes elements of Arts and Crafts form. Some historians claim that because of its eclectic borrowing from so many sources, it should not be identified as a distinct style. Yet it has enjoyed recurrent popularity, and has contributed to later stylistic developments. The term Art Deco is used to describe a design style that originates around World War I, and runs through to World War II (c. 1915-1945).

The style emphasizes surface embellishment, drawing heavily on the colors and styles of some of the early modern art movements, from Impressionism through Cubism. Like many of the modern art styles, it was inspired by Chinese and Japanese art, both of which were popular during this period.

Only two more to go!!!  Perhaps next weekend?  I can't wait to share them all hanging next to each other - that should be pretty cool!  But that won't happen until after they are quilted and bindings are on.  Soon, very soon!

Strong Roots - Impressionism

Instead of spending my day floating in the pool, I decided to work.  Ahh... yes, but on my own stuff -- the Journeys Thru Art 2012 project.  Recently we all decided to work at our own paces (rush) and attempt to get these done early.

The projects are miniquilts (blocks) for these six styles of art:  Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Art Deco, Impressionism, and Pop Art.

You remember my Fauvism square right?  If not click here.
And my Cubism... no?  Click here.

Well... Expressionism.  That one needs to be redone.  I wanted to do the entire square as thread painting... started, block shrunk up more than 1/2 inch and I'd only just started.  That was making it extremely difficult to keep at my 12" finished size.  So instead of trying to calculate exactly how much larger I'd need to start, it is easier (and quicker) to redo.  This time I'll use some paint and some thread play

Onward... Art Deco... bleck!  Not my favorite.  We'll skip that one and do it later.  Don't want to crush the creativity because I'm not happy with the style, we're on a deadline here people!

Impressionism.... B I N G O!  Easy peasy!

Now, for those that don't know about Impressionism here comes a brief (super short) art lesson compliments of Wikipedia (click here if you want to read the full version):
Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists. Their independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s, in spite of harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France. The name of the style derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satiric review published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari.Impressionist painting characteristics include

• Relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes
• Open composition
• Emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities 
• Common, ordinary subject matter
• Inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience
• Unusual visual angles

Radicals in their time, early Impressionists violated the rules of academic painting.  They constructed their pictures from freely brushed colours that took precedence over lines and contours, following the example of painters such as Eugène Delacroix and J. M. W. Turner. They also painted realistic scenes of modern life, and often painted outdoors. Previously, still lifes and portraits as well as [1]  The Impressionists found that they could capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight by painting en plein air. They portrayed overall visual effects instead of details, and used short "broken" brush strokes of mixed and pure unmixed colour—not blended smoothly or shaded, as was customary—to achieve an effect of intense colour vibration.

I choose to use a snippet technique for my block.  I felt this would accomplish the small, visible brush stroke criteria.  My tree is definitely ordinary subject matter, and all the rest, well, we won't worry about those... deadline, remember?

Here are my palettes blues for the sky, greens for grass, and browns for the tree:

And the day in pictures (minus the sticky glue/fusible fingers):

Strong Roots - Impressionism

So what do you think?  I know, it still needs to be quilted -- that's a breeze!  Stay tuned for more on my Journeys Thru Art 2012 projects!

Update on True Colors (mexican pinwheel)

I believe it has been almost forever since I've posted anything quilty!  I've posted my #PHOTOADAY challenges, I've posted two Fact-Filled Friday's already.  But not much quilty stuff...  that doesn't mean I haven't been creating, it just means I've been crazy over here in life-land, and I've also been doing a lot of major custom's for customer's (check out the other blog here).

A couple of months ago I decided to take part in the Crazy Quilters (one of my guilds) UFO Challenge.  You were to bring in 2-3 unfinished projects and let the members chose which UFO you would finish.  Well, I brought in two UFO's -- my silk embroidery quilt and my mexican pinwheel.  Well, mexican pinwheel won.  As part of this, my challenge is to have this quilt totally finished by the deadline of the October 3rd meeting!  Really?  Did I really sign up for this?  I usually work much better with deadlines... usually.

So, all those times that I'm not living life, and I'm not working on customer's beauties, I've been making circles.  Little 3/4" circles for around the border.

So, I was circling away when out of nowhere OCD showed up!  How could I possibly keep making circles and not know if there was a sort of balance to the colors...

So the circling continued until there were 88 of those little buggers!  

Also during all that circling the mexican pinwheel was named True Colors.  I was workng on making circles one night and it just happened to be after notifications of a quilt show and I was on facebook reading some "not-so-nice" comments.  Most people were congratulating others, but there were a few that weren't so joyful.  They weren't vicious, just not very nice, almost making the point that the quilts that were accepted were somehow less significant than others.  More like referencing that, but not actually saying it kind-of-thing.  So during all that "commotion" I kept saying wow, some people are really showing their true colors... hopefully my true colors never get that nasty shade of green!

So here is the latest picture of True Colors.  I've finished placing all the circles on the borders, now to just stitch them on... machine or hand, still not sure.

See, I have been working!  Until next time, happy quilting, stitching, piecing, appliqueing... what ever floats your boat and makes you happy!

Fact-Filled Friday #2 - redneck-ness...

I am a redneck.

Did reading that make you laugh?  Cringe?
Why?

Posting about my being a redneck might seem strange to you, but remember that I said I'd be posting at least one Friday a month with things you might not know about me?  Well here you go!

I felt the need to write this post based on a few comments on facebook in response to a status I posted.  The status said, "off to AnxietyLand, oh I mean WallyWorld".  What I meant was that I sometimes have anxiety when I grocery shop by myself.  But some people posted comments making fun of rednecks. 

Now if I had posted that I was going for a drive to one of the roughest neighborhoods in town, would people have posted comments with racial slurs?  I'd like to hope not.  If I had said I was going to a gay bar, would people have made fun of gays?  Certainly not.  That's wrong!

So why is it okay to redneck-bash?

I think that from the outside looking in, the life of a "redneck" is really misunderstood.  People tend to believe the stereotypes that we are racist pigs with two teeth.  In reality, all that being a redneck means to me (an actual redneck) is that I hunt and fish for my own food, don't live a wasteful life, wear camo, drive a pickup and YES, I even shop at WalMart!  A redneck isn't so much a type of person as a way of life.  Friends and family always come first but you will help a stranger that needs it.  You say what you mean and mean what you say.  You are honest.  You don't tolerate liars and thieves.  You work hard.  You thrive in the outdoors.

What is there to make fun of?

Don't get me wrong.  Those comments didn't hurt my feelings and I really don't care, but I also don't understand.  I make no secret of being a redneck.  It is who I am, and I like me!

#PHOTOADAYJULY

Another month of photos. Holy guacamole... another month?!! Where did it go? As I age I am seriously losing all concept of time! I swear I just took some of these pictures yesterday!

Like I say every month - this is fun! If you don't know anything about #PHOTOADAY, check out Fat Mum Slim's blog, each month she puts up a new list and that's it. If you miss a day, so what! Just get out and snap some pics!  July's list:

So, here goes - July in pictures:

Day 1 - self portrait

Day 2 - busy

Day 3 - best part of your day

Day 4 - fun

Day 5 - on the floor

Day 6 - chair

Day  - garden

Day 8 - lunch

Day 9 - big

Day 10 - your favorite color

Day 11 - letter

Day 12 - texture

Day 13 - open

Day 14 - building

Day 15 - finger

Day 16 - sign

Day 17 - your addiction

Day 18 - plate

Day 19 - animal/insect/pet

Day 20 - eyes

Day 21 - 9 o'clock

Day 22 - upside down

Day 23 - mirror

Day 24 - a stranger

Day 25 - heart

Day 26 - sunshine

Day 27 - on the road

Day 28 - cup

Day 29 - last thing you bought

Day 30 - calm

Day 31 - toothbrush

And there is it... JULY as it happened in my little world.

Hoping to be able to post about Super Secret #1 and Super Secret #2 very soon!  Until then, happy pics, happy quilts, happy life!