Since Last We Met...

It's been kind of a scattered week here in the Magpie's Nest. I was out and about a bit more than usual. Some fabric was purchased locally and some that had been purchased online was delivered:

I saw this batik print during one of my online shopping trips and thought it might make the perfect pillowcase to go with my Black&White&Pink Friendship quilt (when I get around to finishing it!). I also finally found these Metro Market prints that I've been lusting after (the egg beaters). I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with them yet but I had to have them. :- )

There were even more fabric purchases but I'll save those for another time.

I've also been thinking more about what I want to do for the Bead Journal Project next year. I'm just not satisfied with the idea of making more postcards. I want something else, something different. In the process of thinking about that unexpected insight came to me. The quilts I embellished with beads for the first BJP mostly began with an idea I wanted to express. (You can see them here.) Then I chose the fabrics to use, and the bead selection came last. What I realized the other day was that this time around I really want to practice improvisational bead embroidery. I did that to a limited extent the first time, but this time I want it to be the raison d'etre for each piece. That helped me realize that I need to start with a palette of beads, not with an idea or a selection of fabrics. The beads will come first. And rather than piecing fabrics together as I usually do, this time I believe I'm going to stick to a whole cloth ground for my beadwork. Finally, I'm going to use Robin Atkins' latest book as my guide, my touchstone.

The BJP is a perfect opporutnity to fully explore the techniques she presents within its' pages. All I need now is a shape that's not too big or too small and that does not require extraordinary efforts to make it look finished.

The other thing I accomplished this week was to apply the binding to my Lincoln Logs quilt. Today I stitched down some of the binding while listening to this week's edition of Car Talk. It's a long way between corners on this quilt! Turns out Mr. Reilly loves flannel. He has his own blankets to lay on but everytime I left the Lincoln Logs quilt in an accessible place I would come back to find him snuggled into it.

He's no dummy!