Alexander Henry "Rose Tattoo" fabric

Alexander Henry "Rose Tattoo" fabric
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Hey, I posted an entry with no pictures yesterday, did anybody notice? Can't have that! So here's one of the fabrics I bought for your viewing pleasure. (I have no idea how these fabrics are going to fit into the Muertos quilt - I just thought they were awesomely cool, and they fit in with the ideas I have so well. They may end up being on the back.)

One reason I bought the two fabrics with the roses is because I realized I have to put red into this quilt. One of my grandmothers just adored red, and I can't see how I can do a quilt that's a tribute to my grandparents without having red in it. (I was originally thinking of a palette with really pure brights - that is, cyan/magenta/yellow - but I have already backed off of that.) I was talking about putting marigolds into it already, so I was thinking that I would just add a red flower to the mix occasionally. Red goes well with yellow/orange, anyway. So now I am thinking black background, yellow-orange-red flowers around the edge, and inside that, anything goes, as long as it's bright!

(No, I have no clear idea what's going in the middle yet. Pictures, and of course there has to be a skeleton in there someplace, this is Dia de los Muertos we're talking about. But exactly what it's going to look like? I'm not there yet.)

(More of my skull-print purchases here, here and here.)

Linkorama

Pictures from the European Patchwork Expo! (Lots of them!) (From Jerrianne.)

And that reminds me, the Mayfest Quilt Show gallery is online - here.

I added a link to the last entry, too, so it'd be with the picture - I found the patterns for that quilt online.


As far as the swap update - I concentrated on making subunits last weekend; I think I made enough for about 3 blocks. So that means if I can do that again next week, I will have enough to finish, and I'll just have to sew them together!

I've been buying fabric for the first time in a while - first I bought some Christmas fabric at Hobby lobby, then I bought retro Christmas fabric from Contemporary Cloth (which probably doesn't match the first fabric at all), then I bought skulls from Virginia Quilter (several different prints, actually). Everything I got is for specific projects, at least - I've stopped just buying stuff for my stash, I have quite enough in my stash as it is, thanks! - but I may have to make two Christmas quilts to reconcile the traditional fabric with the retro one. Oh well, you can never have enough Christmas quilts, right? (And at the moment I don't have any Christmas quilts, I gave the one I had away!)

Summer Rentals

Summer Rentals
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Quilt above made by Martha Walker of Arizona; entered in the category Mixed Technique the 2005 International Quilt Festival.

Added: QNM has posted foundation patterns for this quilt - here.

I have been slacking on the exchange blocks, and I'm running out of time. I have six more blocks to do and only 4 weeks or so to do them in - although there are a good many more subunits made than that. I have got to get seriously going this weekend - or else I'm going to have to break my custom and work on them at home. (What a concept.)

I have been doing some planning, and even a little bit of research, for the Day of the Dead quilt. I looked at several webpages about how it's celebrated in Mexico (rather than, you know, in Austin) and that gave me some ideas. For example, it's traditional to make floral arches out of marigolds, so I want to work marigolds into it somehow - I'm thinking either as an arch or some other kind of a surround for the quilt. I have no idea whether I'm talking applique flowers, or beaded flowers, or what, though.

In the Beginning "Julianna"

In the Beginning "Julianna"
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Oh, this fabric looks so much like something my mother would love. I'm going to have to track some down for her.

Avlyn "Nature's Palette"

Avlyn "Nature's Palette" in indian pink
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Ooh, I like these. These are organic cottons dyed by hand with vegetable dyes and other natural substances. The colors are great. See more of them here, and most of them are available online at eQuilter.

(Although apparently eQuilter doesn't have the one above. I am sad.)

Catch-up entry

Houses in the Country in Costa Rica
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Quilt above made by Maria de Los Angeles Artavia T.; from the exhibit "Shapes and Colors of Costa Rica" at the 2005 International Quilt Festival.

Wow, I haven't posted in two weeks, how'd that happen? Partly it's that I haven't had much to report lately, quilt-wise - I'm working on the swap blocks, and I went out of town one weekend so I didn't get to work on anything at all. Actually that's not entirely true - I took all the bits and pieces with me to start on the Day of the Dead quilt, and I sorted through stuff at my aunt's house, and I started a piece of embroidery. I had a piece of cyan-blue batik with swirls on it, and I started outlining swirls in reverse stitch, in heavy perle cotton (#5, to be exact). It looks cute, I should've taken a picture before now. The most entertaining part was trying to explain to my mother and my aunt and other assorted relatives about the Day of the Dead quilt. I don't think they quite got it.

Updated picture of swap blocks

pink & cranberry swap blocks
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

Here are the four swap blocks that are finished. I have some more bits and pieces (i.e., subunits) together but this is it for finished ones. I like them all - the one with the too-light center probably the least, the two on the top row the most, although I also like the bottom right one with the lighter corner star points really well, too. Since I keep running out of one fabric or another, they are going to keep changing a little bit, anyway.

This exchange was supposed to take place at fall retreat, and I don't think I'm going this year. It's the first time in maybe 7 years that I haven't gone. I know I'm going to be sorry I'm not, but there were too many other factors - mom's disability, money, a minor shortage of vacation time.... (I had enough vacation time and in fact had already put in a request to use it - but I have taken an awful lot of vacation already this year and am going to be taking more, so on top of everything else that may have been the tipping point.)

More autumn leaves

new autumn leaves
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

I have promised to make another autumn leaf quilt - a small one - so here's the beginning of that. I haven't decided how many leaves I'm making exactly. We'll see how it goes. (Last time, I totally got addicted to making the things, so you never know.)

Another summer quilt

24/7 (detail)
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

"24/7" was made by Rachel Wetzler of Illinois; it was the 1st place winner in the category Innovative Pieced, Large at the 2005 International Quilt Festival.


I don't have much to say about my own quilting right now. I am making cranberry blocks, still. I will try to take a picture tomorrow, if I remember!

Another summer quilt

The Maharajah's Garden (detail)
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

This quilt is from IQF 2005; I don't currently have the maker's name but I will see if I can find it. Anyway, don't you think this is nice & summery? It looks like heat.

Adding: "The Maharajah's Garden" was made by Jean Lohmar of Illinois; it was the 2nd place winner in the category Innovative Pieced, Large at the 2005 International Quilt Festival.

(And thanks to Judy H. for finding the maker's name!)

Exchange update

three & one-third pink stars, plus a boat
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

So here's the progress on the pink-&-cranberry exchange. It's going slow, but it is making progress. I did get a little more done after this picture was taken - the third block was still in pieces here, for one thing. I also replaced the center, because I didn't think the lighter one looked as good.

I partly changed blocks from the original one I was going to make because I thought this one would be easier, and it is, but it's still not quite as easy as I thought. Sewing the subunits together usually takes a while because the "side" star units - the ones with the gold - tend not to come out just right. The points tend to want to come out with no seam allowance and that's not going to work!

The blue sailboat is my mother's Friendship Bee exchange block. The part you see is solids, and then it's doing to have an indigo blue batik printed with koi underneath the boat. (That's what serves as the water, I guess!)

It's summer!

Journal Quilt
Originally uploaded by Mellicious.

This is a journal quilt from IQF 2005, so that means it's 8-1/2x11" - she packed a good bit of detail into that sun. It's the first day of summer (I think) so I thought I would post something summery.