OCTOBER 8

After several days of very spotty or no internet access, we now have a shiny new modem.

Almost a year ago I packed up these quilt blocks and stopped working on a quilt for our granddaughter, LA. The blocks and all of the fabric were packed away in two bankers' boxes. The boxes have been sitting in my quilt room since we moved into our new home. I think it's time to get sewing again on this one.

OCTOBER 3

My studio is utter chaos. Getting absolutely nothing done but nursing my poor pitiful back.

OCTOBER 2

Have managed to tear up the muscles in my back, so have just spent the day trying to get through it.

OCTOBER 1

Spent the day with LA. No art making, but plenty of creative learning.

SEPTEMBER 30

Holiday stocking prep.

SEPTEMBER 29

Fabric pull for adding more Christmas stockings.

SEPTEMBER 28

Nancy Crow's work is amazing!

SEPTEMBER 27

We lived in a townhouse for 14 years, which meant no gardening, just flowers in pots. We now have a messy, bird/pollinator friendly yard full of random wildflowers. I have been harvesting some of these and dyeing watercolor paper with the results.

It's been very haphazard and slapdash (what great words!). But this pinkish paper and thread are the result of turning Black Eyed Susan flowers (rudbeckia) into dye. Yes, the yellowy-orange and black flowers made pink dye. Strange but definitely fun.

SEPTEMBER 26

The library system back in Madison had a copy of this book on Nancy Crow's lifetime of quilting.  Thankfully, the Pittsburgh library system has a copy as well.  For reference, this book is 2.5 inches thick and weighs almost 5 pounds. It is wonderful!

SEPTEMBER 25

More time with LA today so reading, not making.  Really appreciate when artists share their process and studio space with us.  Nancy Crow is particularly generous in doing this.

SEPTEMBER 24

Spending time with our granddaughter, LA, so reading about quilt art.

SEPTEMBER 23

This current quilt is an improv quilt. No rulers, just cut pieces of fabric and sew them together randomly. This is WAY outside my comfort zone, which is the whole point.

I did sneak in a couple of half square triangles, though, which is my preferred quilt block.  Anyone who knows anything about these quilt blocks will know that they are ruler INTENSIVE.  It's something like eight measured cuts for a single HST trimmed block.

The two HSTs in this piecing are ruler free. Still a little fussy though.

SEPTEMBER 22

Piecing some more...