Patching Things Up

I'm now on the final layer of Work Quilt #3... sewing a few patches here and there... which will be followed by some more hand quilting, and a good wash in the machine to bring out the textures. Hope to have it all completed in the next few days.... but someone has been stealing my attention...



(Ellie Mae wishes you all a very Happy Valentines Day!)

Welcome Home, Ellie Mae!

I am happy to introduce to you the newest member of our family, Ellie Mae.

We adopted Ellie 2 days ago from the Humane League, but due to their policy of spaying the dogs before releasing them, we weren't able to actually bring her home until today.

It has been 6 1/2 months since Mo passed, and I still miss her with all my heart. Everyday I talk to her photo, (and still sometimes cry) I feel Mo around me, and recently started to feel her letting me know that it might be time to welcome a new four footed friend into our home. I think Mo selected Ellie to be our new little love, for all of a sudden on Sunday morning I knew that I must get to the shelter, and so I drove 40 minutes through ice and snow covered roads. Not a rational thing to do, but there she was. I cannot express enough how sweet and laid back Ellie is. Thank you Mo.


Here Ellie Mae is all bundled up waiting for me to get my coat and boots on so we can go outside in the bitter cold... another blizzard is on the way... not a great time to convince a dog that outside going is the best way to go. (Her clothes are made from two recycled shirt sleeves and one sock.)

The shelter's vet estimated her to be 1 year old. She's only 7lbs. 10oz. pounds and apparently is a Dachshund/Chiwawa mix, which I found out is referred to as a "Chiweenie"! She was found wandering the streets of the city where we use to live... now she's a country girl. :0)

What's New

I started Work Quilt #3 last week... This one is definitly influence by the colors and lines of the winter farm fields around me, and will be a bit simpler and more subdued then the previous two Work Quilts. So far I have pieced and machine quilted it and am now just beginning on the hand stitching layer... lots more to do on that!


By the way, someone recently asked me what a "work quilt" is. In case you are wondering too, it's just a name that I have given this new series. It seemed fitting as I am being influenced by the work of old utilitarian quilts, antique patched and mended textiles and from the rural countryside surrounding me.... all of those influences share a very basic honesty, no frills mentality that is resonating very deeply within me these days.

Speaking of winter farm land... check out these super wooly sheep...


Hubby found them grazing on a nearby hill along a road we seldom travel... he knew I'd adore them... and I do.


(Note to self... drive down that road more often!)


I've also started a new blog, Worn and Weathered where I can post pictures of the old, and sometimes seemingly abandoned structures around me, such as the one above... a place to record the visuals that are strongly pulling at my heartstrings and offering me a lot of soulful inspiration.


One more local shot to share... Passed by this farm the other day with the greatest Purple Martin birdhouses that I have ever seen... I get such a kick out of the three different sizes... economy, standard and luxury.

And last but not least... My Silly BooDilly Etsy art shop is temporarily closed while I create new work. Hope to be restocking by March. In order to focus more fully on my stitched work, I have also decided to shut my BooDilly Etsy fabric shop... anyone interested in purchasing my fabric can now do so directly from Spoonflower and do it at Spoonflower prices! This is a much better deal then I could have offered and I think it's a win win deal!

Work Quilt #2 - Finished!

Finally finished my 2nd "Work Quilt"! (My fingers are very relieved!)


Now, I have tried sooooo hard to get the colors accurate.... almost to the point of insanity. Proving very difficult as the shot cotton seems to constantly change and shift colors depending on the angle it is viewed and how the light hits it. Some days it looks more green to me and some days more blue. But that is one of the things I love about shot cotton!


Looking at my monitor, the red squares are showing up more bright then they actually are... in truth they are more of a brick red, actually being woven with a rust weft and a purple warp! (who-da thunk?) I believe that quiet purple warp helps this particular red fabric get along very well with the surrounding blues and greens.


This photo above seems to be the best as far as color accuracy.... of course every monitor is different. (I am working on a Mac, but just looked at these pictures on my daughter's PC and surprisingly they looked very accurate on the PC. Again... who-da-thunk? Never-the-less, I love my Mac!) ...But I digress... back to the quilt...

With a little math I have estimated that there are approximately over 15,000 hand stitches in this piece, which after washing now measures 40" x 41.5"



Not wanting to use up my shot cottons on the back side, I instead choose solid Kona fabrics, giving the back a more contemporary feel...


If you look closely at the back, you can see small patches of horizontal stitching where the patches on the front have been quilted down. I like that subtle variation.

This "Work Quilt", at least for now, is another keeper.... I want the Work quilts in my possession so I can refer back to them as I continue on this series. The next one is in the planning stages, but I also want to make some smaller, related pieces to put in the shop.... Oh my. These are a bit more labor intensive then I am use to. If only I could get by on 2 hours sleep!

Craft Hope for Haiti

Along with sending/texting a cash donation to help the people of Haiti, (which I am sure you all have done) you can also buy an item from the Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy shop, or donate one of your own handmade creations to them for sale. See here for info on how to donate. (Donations are being excepted thru Wednesday, Jan. 20th). All proceeds of the Craft Hope Etsy shop are going to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti, a truly wonderful humanitarian organization.

I donated the two pieces below. (Update: those items have sold.) Please go and check out all the great items for sale, (new listings are constantly being added, too!) So far close to 300 sales, (Update: Now over 1,000 sales and counting!) have been made in just a few days. My hat is off to the ladies who organized this!

Flower


Sunburst


Also, the wonderfully talented Jacquie of Tallgrass Prairie Studio, (which is where I found out about Craft Hope) is offering 3 of her fabulous quilts up for auction. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, and Jacquie will match the final bids with her own money. Now that is generous! Go here to bid on one of Jacquie's quilts!