Log Cabin Domesticity : 3

All of the log cabin pillow tops that were "in process" for several months are now completed! Now, I'm moving on to some new log cabin projects.

Log Cabin Domesticity : 2

More log cabin pillows for the family room, but they look good outside, too. These were quilted with a layer of cotton batting and re-purposed muslin from the curtain of a previous home.

This one is my favorite-- especially in the sunshine and shadows.

Some of the envelope backs are different fabrics pieced together.

Log Cabin Domesticity

I started piecing the tops for these pillows about 6-9 months ago using the wonky, log cabin method. Two of the pillows were completed yesterday with a sewing friend (a perfect way to spend a slightly overcast spring break afternoon). Even though both of us usually have our cameras ready for "process documentation," we were both so engaged with sewing and conversation that we forgot about photography. My friend Sarah made a snazzy, string-pieced shoulder bag from an online tutorial that I had used earlier in the week with single pieces of fabric.

These cases have envelope backs. Instead of quilting the tops with a layer of batting and muslin, I used a single layer of flannel to give the illusion of quilting and to protect the inside seams while washing. I machine quilted them with a random, square spiral from the outside edge to the center.

I still have several other wonky, log cabin pillows to finish for other rooms in the house. These live in the kitchen on some old, painted-red wicker furniture that has seen better days but is now cheered up with squares of color and fresh fabric. The knitted log cabin blanket for which I'm still weaving in ends (photo below from some outside knitting earlier in the week) will also find a home with these pillows.

Every Minute Counts

photos of clocks made by first graders at Casey Elementary

At the beginning of this spring break, here are a few thoughts and wishes regarding time, and how I want to spend it:

• I wish I had enough time to spend more time observing in schools because when I make time, I am transformed. This week will be a small break from this-- oh-- except going up to help re-plant the garden in the courtyard-- oh-- and except spending some time making progress on plans for a family arts festival--oh-- and except any blog posts that may result from any of the above activities.
  

• I've been spending a lot of time on knitting websites, blogs, and on Ravelry looking at various shawls and wraps because I want to knit something like this for someone special. So far, I haven't found the perfect pattern, so I will probably need to design my own. Sometimes searching the web for ideas can feel like a waste of time or a goose chase, but I remind myself that I'm doing research, getting inspiration, and developing my own ideas.
  

• Because I've been spending time on knitting sites, I also have several other projects in mind. Oh, no. There is not enough time for them all!

• I still have my sewing machine and quilting supplies out on the dining room table. They have been there since the new year began. I walk by them, clean up the stuff around them, and wonder when I will get back to sewing and quilting. Soon. This week? I hope sew. Especially since I bought two inspiring and beautiful books (this and this) with inspiring and beautiful projects that even I can attempt.

• I have a reading list. I'm finishing up one book on my own, reading another with my daughter, and waiting for Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson to arrive.
  

• I have a list of things to do with the family around Jackson like visit the Mississippi Museum of Art to see the Raoul Dufy exhibit, take a trip to Rocky Springs on the Natchez Trace to play outside, visit the Petrified Forest, see the new penguin exhibit at the zoo, and go to Sal and Mookie's pizza place. I think we'll stay busy.
  

• I also have that other list-- the dreaded list-- of things I need to do that always fall by the wayside during normal times. I need to gather the tax documents to send to the accountant, clean out a few cabinets and drawers, try to get my office under control, etc. And, there is also the yard-- the leaves, the pruning, the gutters.
  

So, every minute counts. I wish I didn't have the last list-- the dreaded list. I wish I could knit, read, sew, and play with the children all day. But, spring break gives me freedom and choices to make, and I like that. I hope I can keep it all in balance.

Blocks

It took me 2 and 1/2 hours to make the fabric quilt block above. It was my second attempt at a log cabinish, wonky block. The first one I put together was too busy, so I plan to cut it up and reuse some of it in future blocks. I like this one much better. This time I had the right tools-- a large mat, rotary cutter (love it!), and an acrylic ruler. I wish I had a sewing room or studio! My dining room is a mess.

I learned that I need to clean-up and keep things tidy as a go (this is the way I like to cook, too). I started out with too much on the table, so I was constantly rearranging things or moving things.

The inspiration came from some knitted log cabinish squares that I have been making (still working on the second one). I chose the colors from looking up at evergreens against the sky while I walk.

Squares and circles

Today while helping my colleague Mrs. Misenar with her art class at St. Therese, I put finished, individual, pastel studies of Kandinsky on the carpet to create a collective, paper quilt. Then, I took photos of these arrangements and put them together in a collage to make a photo quilt. I love the colors and and wonky circles! The students did an amazing job, and Mrs. Misenar always brings such vibrant energy to her teaching that it is no wonder the students' works are so colorful.

The art of these children may be inspiration for what will be a creative project for me. The experience today has me thinking about the improvisational quilt piece I am planning in my mind. I bought some necessary supplies today-- a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, and some small, colorful, fabric pieces. Now, all I need is time and the willingness to make mistakes, learn, and persist to a finished product. And, I will most definitely need some help from quilting friends along the way.

I can't wait to get started.

Before 6:00 am

My children have always been very early risers. During the work and school week, everyone is an early riser (my alarm is set for 5:40 am). Yesterday, when I stumbled into the kitchen to start the kettle and check my e-mail, I found my son already up combining pastels and watercolors.

My daughter had told him about how to combine the watercolors and pastels from her art classes at school. I love how the knowledge of the technique was passed down from a nine-year-old to a six-year-old. We had been playing with pastels and watercolors separately over the holiday break. The supplies were still out even though I had not been pleased that the art/craft table was piled up with many different supplies and projects in various stages of completion. Paper everywhere.

Sometimes, a little chaos creates surprising results. All factors in the universe intersected for this to happen, and I love that.

One more story about another intersection involving my son:


For about 24 hours, I have been following a serendipitous labyrinth of links through the internet about improvisational quilting. It is amazing how much time I have spent at the computer looking at other peoples photos on Flickr and tracking down blogs about quilting. It is like discovering an alternate universe-- like stepping through the wardrobe into the magical world of Narnia. Or, it is like spending the day in a large university library doing research--going up and down staircases, in and out of corridors, following Dewey numbers down rows of bookcases and shelves, and browsing books next to the one I thought I wanted. Yes, the librarian in me shines forth!

Well, I've had fabric strips and squares on my mind as I prepare to cross over into the world of log cabin quilting from log cabin knitting. When I put my son to bed last night, he said to me, "Don't forget to cut the square."

I did a double-take. What? Was he reading my mind? He didn't know that I had been designing wonky squares in my mind all day.

He clarified the statement when he saw the puzzled look on my face. "The Rice Krispy Treat square, Mom. Remember, you said you would cut one so that I could have it for breakfast when I get up early, and you are sleeping-in."

Before 6:00 am.