Catching Up In Bits and Pieces

I am astounded to see that my last post was written on January 31st. I feel like I am in a space and time continuum. It's as though I am standing still and time moves all around me and yet I remain fixed. Very strange. Very frightening at times! I also seem to be pulling away from social media a bit. The more I see the less I think that I have to contribute.

Anyway. I am keeping up - or ahead- of myself and these small circular wool embroideries. March is actually almost done. I taught myself how to add shisha mirrors, but I found that it was difficult to find real shisha mirrors! These days thin sheets of mylar cut into circles and squares and triangles are labeled 'shisha' but they really don't cut it. Thankfully, I found the 'real deal' at a belly dancing supply store! Phew!
I had been on the hunt for this book by Willyne Hammerstein. It is a bi-lingual book published in France by Quilt Mania and was very difficult to locate here in the States. Thankfully, Paper Pieces has begun to carry it...and they also offer paper pieces in a packet for the quilt that I was interested in making - "La Passacaglia".
The book is beautifully done and richly illustrated. it is a much more lovely book than I had thought it would be. It is presented in both French (on the left) and English (on the right). This delights me since it helps bring back a soupcon of my lost ability to communicate in French. 
 I will be posting more about this project soon. It will be a long term hand project.....
 The diagrams are VERY well done and they are easy to follow. A blessing!
I started this project from Elizabeth Hartman's  great book, "Patchwork City", but I think that it will be left alone for awhile. I just have not come up with the right 'formula' for a combination of fabrics that will not be boring, but that will also play well together and not be blinding to the eye. No background that I have tried seems to work (I tried, white, cream, black, grey, grellow etc). It will take a careful combination to pull this off the way I want it to look and perhaps a coordinated fabric line might be useful...I just have not decided on what to do or how to proceed. In this particular quilt each 'block' is composed of three separate blocks. Each one is sort of 'stand-alone' entity, but they all need to work together. I know what I want I just have to figure out how to get there!


Valentine's Day brought me two orchids to try to raise with love and light. This time I bought a plant light to see if it will help my normally dismal attempts at growing healthy orchids. I love them, but seem to have problems raising them successfully. I am hoping to turn the tables this time with more light and a once a week ice cube watering with diluted orchid food.
I finished my "Organized Chaos" (thanks to Sujata Shah's blog). Without the black inner border - or a black border in general - it was overwhelming busy and bright. The black pulled it all together and calmed the chaos. The red outer border brought my eye outside again and seemed to work. It turned out to be 76" X 88". Next is a simple back (more red I think!)  I am quite happy with the result.
So - that's a quick synopsis of what I have been doing..not all but some. I should take my photos! I hope that I will be organized in my next post and that it will not be as long in between!

  • Do you ever lose track of time too?
  • Does it get away from you?
  • Have you thought of any 'remedy'?!




Comments

  1. I am with you on the time continuum. I spent the first part of the week grouchy at myself at my inability to get things done. I wonder if it is the short days? I know I don't have this problem in the summer, but then I stay busy until 9 pm. Add to the fact that I am NOT a morning person, getting going after noon doesn't leave many daylight hours to get things done. I am in love with your paper piecing book. Oh the possibilities! I really like the Patchwork City blocks, too. I ran into the background problem with my Aunt's Christmas quilt. I ended up taking the blocks to the store and auditioning fabrics. What surprised me was that one's I would never have thought (chocolate brown and violet) worked the best. The violet made the blocks I wanted to shine stand out, so that's what I went with. Lucky you with the orchids! A friend told me to put them outside in a shady spot during the warmer months. Amazingly, it worked. I also gave them a little bone meal, and the ice cube drinks. Good luck with them. I know I babied mine to death and now try to ignore them. :) Have a fabulous weekend!

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  2. I love your tiny circles- beautifully done!
    Your orchids are lovely- never tried growing them myself- so I guess i can watch and learn! ")
    Enjoy your weekend!

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  3. Marie, There is some serious scrappy-ness going on here! I love your colors! It makes me want to start another one! I loose track of time all the time and it gets away from me all the time.. My remedy for it is to think - Whatever I ended up doing was well worth the time lost!

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