I mentioned in an earlier post that my word for 2020 is Intention. One tradition I have is making a quilt with my word on it each year. Here is my quilt for this year...
This is my tenth word and quilt. All of my quilts are the same size (18x20") and I plan to hang them up near the ceiling around the walls of my studio. In fact, that is one thing I INTEND to do this year!
I'm happy with this quilt. I think it reflects who I am, or maybe who I am evolving into? I originally thought I would make it purple BUT I had this blue grunge in my stash and I INTENTIONALLY used what I had on hand rather than spending money on fabric. I'm working on a special project that involves improv log cabin blocks, so this is an extension of that. I have also recently experimented with inserting tiny strips of stripes into my blocks. I love the effect! You can see a tiny strip of black and white peeking out of this block.
I was able to be very intentional in January, with my time (lots of studio time!), my money and what I've been eating. So far so good! Let's hope I can keep it up.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
Solid Seven catchup
I haven't updated you on the antics of the Solid Seven Bee in a while. We've been busy bees as usual, making pretty solid blocks for each other. A couple of months ago, EA gave us a pretty color palette and asked us to make "our favorite blocks". Her finished quilt promises to be interesting! Here are the blocks I made......
a woven block |
an x & + block |
and an arrow |
And then Jessica asked us to make these blocks in blues, teals, greens and purples.....
I had already assembled my strip pieced blocks from last year into a quilt top before the holidays. My friend Diann from Happy Quilts had worked her longarm magic on it and it was just waiting for binding. This week I got that done and now I present to you, Fruity Lemonade!
finished quilt is 48x60 |
I had to show you the awesome swirly quilting! |
Meanwhile, if you want to follow along and see what the Solid Seven gals are up to, you can follow us on Instagram at #thesolidseven.
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Monday, January 20, 2020
January reads
In addition to quilting and weaving, one of my favorite things to do is read. I read a wide range of books, from nonfiction to fiction. I thought I'd share some of my favorite books with you here from time to time. This month I've already read two great reads, both nonfiction.
My first finish of 2020 is The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates.
My first finish of 2020 is The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates.
I picked this one up from the library on a whim. I'll be honest, I didn't know quite what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. In this book Melinda, wife of Bill Gates, tells her story working with the philanthropy foundation she created with her husband. Much of the work they do encompasses the rights of women around the world. She tells detailed stories of women she has met, mostly in Africa, and how they have been able to impact families through women's health, education and services. Maybe because of my own recent travels to Africa, I was able to understand clearly the challenges these women face. This is a five star read in my opinion. It left me thinking and wanting to learn more.
My second finish of the year was a Christmas gift from my hubby ( umm yes, it was indeed on my Amazon list which I provide him a copy of every year. Please tell me I am not alone). It is Find Your Artistic Voice, by Lisa Congdon. I have been a big fan of Lisa for a long time. If you want to follow her on instagram, you can do that here.
Lisa is an artist/illustrator with a very distinct style or voice. In her latest book she helps other creatives find their own voice. I found this to be very inspiring. Again, I was left thinking and exploring which is always a good thing! I recommend this one to ALL of my creative friends. Again, five stars!
Are you on Goodreads? I track all of my reading there. You can follow me here.
Monday, January 13, 2020
MCKMQG basket swap
A little catch up post here! In the fall, the McKinney Modern Quilt Guild had a basket scrap swap. We've done these scrap swaps before, with baskets and pillows (twice!) and they are fun! Each participant brings a ziploc bag full of her own scraps. Then we fill out information sheets, how you'd like to use your basket etc. and we swap bags. You take home the bag you receive and make a basket for the original scrap owner. FUN! This time I got Alice's scraps. Let me tell you, she gave me enough scraps to make a dozen baskets!
Here's the basket I brought her at our December meeting. It's quite large. I filled it with some smaller baskets and some of her favorite snacks.
Catherine had my scraps. I had put all Christmas scraps in my bag and requested a basket to put our Christmas cards in. She nailed it!She filled it up with goodies too. The same night we had a handmade ornament swap. I received the sweet spool ornament... from Alice! It was a full circle kind of night. Here are the ornaments I brought...
We each brought one ornament to swap and one to donate to Meals on Wheels. It was a really fun night of swapping!
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
McKinney Modern Quilt Guild QuiltCon charity quilt
Hi again! Leave it to me to disappear for 3 months and then post 2 days in a row. I just wanted to let you know I have a blog post up on the McKinney Modern Quilt Guild blog with the story behind our charity quilt for QuiltCon next month. I'm super proud of this quilt and the guild members who had a hand in creating it.
I encourage you to hop on over here and read the full story! Happy Tuesday friends.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Happy New Year
Hello friends! Sorry I fell off the face of the earth for a bit. I could make all kinds of excuses but I won't! Life just got busy and blogging didn't feel like a huge priority for a while. There was lots of family time, including celebrating the graduation of our youngest daughter, Ally, from Texas State University!
It was fun to have the whole gang together to celebrate Ally!
It was fun to have the whole gang together to celebrate Ally!
And now, here we are at the beginning of a new Decade! Many of you know that I always choose a word of the year. This is actually my tenth year choosing a word. I'm excited about this year's word and want to share it with you now. My word for 2020 is.....
INTENTION
My plan for this year is to be intentional about a lot of things. First of all, I want to be intentional about how I spend my time. It seems like I lose a lot of time surfing the internet, watching mindless tv, even napping! NO MORE. This year I plan to Get Things Done. I also plan to be more intentional about my blogging. I am going to try to blog every Monday, with possible extra posts in between. Feel free to hold me accountable.
Other things that I'd like to be more intentional about are how I spend my money (although I am not a huge shopper, but I do want to pay attention!) and what I put in my mouth. We'll see how that goes.
Do you have a word for this year? Do share.
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