Uninspired?

17 Comfort from Civil War Quilts

Autumn scarf

Today Taryn blogged about a lack of inspiration and I truly admire her authenticity. She's surfing the web for pictures in search of inspiration. I have been there too, and once I thought about not sewing for a month. Then I got scared ~ I don't like to make rules about / set limitations on my sewing. It's supposed to be fun and I strive to keep it that way! Her post encouraged me to think on what I have done to overcome a lack of inspiration, what inspires my creativity...and what stifles my creativity.

Stifling: lack of sleep; feeling overwhelmed by too many obligations; stress; same old projects that seem to never get finished; an untidy sewing room.

Inspiring: photos of reproduction and antique quilts (Quilt Index); dresdens; tiny pieces; my little quilt book library; starting a new project; improvisational piecing; changing to a project with different colors; going to quilt shows (Seven Sisters 2011 is April 30-May1); the show and tell part of a guild meeting; Yahoo! groups photos of finished quilts.

Renewing: visit the local library and pour over their books for a few hours (in subjects such as: nature, home decor, architecture, traditional textiles from other cultures, traditional and heritage quilts, state documentation project books); see a movie; spend an afternoon at the park, county fair, beach, lake; see an exhibit; travel (near or far).

Have you ever been uninspired? What worked for you?

~~Lisa

More Cambria

I enjoyed visiting Cambria last week and thought you might like to see a few more photos.

~~Lisa

Cambria

10 Richmond

5 Kansas Troubles

11 London Square

In recent weeks I have worked on a few of the Civil War Quilts blocks. I am primarily using red, blue, shirtings, and brown with touches of cheddar and pink. I can't wait to photograph them all together so I am using that as incentive to get completely caught up.

3 Seven Sisters

My favorite block in this group is London Square. Perhaps I will make up more of those for a quilt of all London Square blocks. I'm thinking about that, I have a lot of irons in the fire. I will certainly keep you posted.

Lately I have made a few little pincushions. Always great for a quick finish and so useful. I like the tiny ones to keep with handwork so I have somewhere to put my needle in between stitching. Of course, it's always a good idea to know where you stuck it. With our curious little dogs around, it's extra important!

Instead of sewing Sunday I went on a road trip with the dogs and Mr. IQ to Cambria. We walked about, saw sweet little stores and enjoyed lovely weather. If you have never visited Cambria, California, USA I highly recommend it! I most of all hoped to go to a favorite shop, Birds of a Feather. I learned she has gone online only and will miss her dear little shop for sure. PKM even blogged about the shop. We were able to visit an antique shop and see a couple of well loved quilts. A grandmother's flower garden (hexagon) quilt above with fussy-cut split star fabrics (above) and a six point star with a little bunny, just in time for Spring!

Happy stitching!

~~Lisa

Holy Smokes!

Have you ever come into fabrics that smell of smoke? Recently 12 gorgeous fat quarter-sized scraps found their way to me sealed in quart-sized zip bags. When I opened the gift to admire the contents I was left with a sore throat after just three or four minutes of unsealing the bag. Whoa ~ strong stuff! Mr. IQ gets migraines from the smell of smoke, so it's not an option to have the smoke-scented fabrics around. What to do?

The good news: How I got rid of the odor:

I sealed them in the zip bags and sprinkled approximately one tablespoon of baking soda in each bag, then filled it with water to cover the tops of the fabrics. I then added a bit of 'odor eliminator' (Febreeze, for example, just unscrewed the top and poured in a bit) and zipped them up, agitated them (turned a few times, gently shook) to be sure the additions circulated around the fabrics and left them overnight. In the morning I opened the bags and poured out the yellow/tan water. I then filled the bags half way with fresh water and added enough white vinegar to cover the tops of the fabrics. In the afternoon I emptied the water/vinegar mixture out and squeezed the excess from the fabrics, then laundered them. The smelled great to me and they passed Mr. IQ's sniff test too.

Give this a try if you need to remove smoke smell from fabrics. Now I have lovely fat quarters to add to a scrap quilt or two.

~~Lisa

2011 Golden Quilter Award Winners Announced

Have you heard? Darlene (Sew Cal Gal) hosted the 2011 Golden Quilter Awards and I am excited for the winners ~ they're certainly a talented bunch.

Here is the complete list of winners:

1. Best Designer: Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs


2. Best Teacher/Instructor: Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville


3. Best Author: Eleanor Burns of Quilt In A Day


4. Best Quilt Store (brick and mortar): Mary Lou's in Gastonia, NC


5. Best Quilt Store (online): Fat Quarter Shop


6. Best Long Arm Quilter: Judi Madsen of Green Fairy Quilts


7. Most Innovative Product (physical item): AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter


8. Most Innovative Product (software): Electric Quilt Company's EQ7


9. Most Influential Person in the world of quilting to date (Lifetime Acheivement Award): Eleanor Burns


10. Best Quilt Retreat: Two Wacky Women

Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to Darlene for hosting the awards. I am fortunate in that each of them, minus two, have influenced my quilting in some way...(and the two I have not encountered yet I need to make up for lost time).

~~Lisa

Gratitude

Did you go see the Infinite Variety exhibit of red and white quilts? I am not nearby, across the nation, actually, so I have enjoyed it through the eyes of others. My intent when visiting various blogs was to understand the scale and implementation of the installation and to see the quilts, of course. My unexpected delight was reading the reactions to and characterizations of the exhibit. To those who visited and shared, *thank you*, it has truly been a pleasure to experience it through your eyes. To those who worked to bring the exhibit to life, you have made so many people joyful in your work. To Ms. Joanna S. Rose, I am grateful for your generosity in sharing your treasures with us all.

If you have photos from the exhibit, you may wish to send them to the American Folk Art Museum as they have requested photos (submit by April 11). See details here.

On another note, a tip: I like to use washable Crayola Crayons for marking quilts. I have not had any color stay behind, but I test each time just in case. If you're looking for a reliable method for marking quilts, give this one a try. Of course, they come in all kinds of colors and if one is not easy to see on a particular fabric, there is sure to be another that is (I am not affiliated with Crayola ~ just passing along a tip that works for me).

Name: Bozley

Occupation: Madison's sidekick, Certified Quilt Inspector

Loves: giving 'hugs' * treats * walks * treats *other dogs * treats * naps

Dislikes: baths

I'll be back soon with an update on CW blocks...and I need to get back to it because a new block is coming out tomorrow!

~~Lisa