Stars for Pat

 My sister-in-law enjoyed sewing and was an avid hand quilter. Sadly, she developed macular degeneration and now can no longer see to sew. She asked me if I would be willing to make a version of a quilt I'd made a few years ago out of fabrics she'd accumulated and saved. Of course I said yes. 

This is the quilt she referenced:

And this is the one I made out of her fabrics:

About 65" square

 They were some lovely colors and prints to work with but they turned out to be highly toxic to my system. They'd been pre-washed in one of those laundry detergents that chemically bonds to the fibers. Even though I re-washed every piece they let off toxic fumes with handling and especially under the iron. It was a struggle, but I was happy to be able to assemble this quilt for Pat. I only hope her vision will last long enough for her to truly enjoy the fruits of my labors.

New Month, New Blocks

Scraps are a good place to dip one's toe back in the water of patchwork. Familiar blocks don't require a lot of mental energy either. While we've had rain to clear the air, folks have begun to use their fireplaces and wood stoves again thus polluting the air once more. Makes it hard for me to go out at all and maintain any ability to be creative. I have been cutting some scraps into strips and patches and piecing more of the simple blocks that make up such a large part of my Parts Department.

Most of these are 6" or 8" finished. There's one 9" Shoo-fly block in the set. I began with these two other 9" Shoo-fly blocks:

 Then I pieced up little 4" postage stamp blocks from patches already on hand.

Some of them have become stars.

I don't have any plans for a specific project in which to use these (or any other!) blocks. There are a lot more scraps to be dealt with, to say nothing of the other fabric in my stash. Guess I'll just keep on making blocks until health and inspiration can work in tandem once again. 😊

Spacing Out

I've got the borders on the baby quilt I'm calling Space Cadets.

I decided to frame the assembled blocks with a two inch inner border to give some breathing room to the large planet print stripe. That made the overall quilt top just that much bigger. I'd purchased the wide planet stripe print according to the intended length of the quilt but had to add compensating strips to each end.

I was pleased to be able to include a touch of the orange in the planet stripe.

The narrow stripes on the outer edge of the quilt top will disappear beneath the binding, although I may be able to keep the orange showing there too. Keeping to the theme, I have a white on navy galaxy print to back this quilt top. It's not as soft as I'd like for a baby quilt but since this is likely to be a play quilt as much as anything else it'll do.

There's been progress on the pinwheel baby quilt too. I only had a few blocks made when I introduced the project in this post. Since then I've made all the rest of the pinwheels and only need to get them sewn together now.

One of the "white" blocks I'd made had to be removed to achieve a more comfortable balance between the light and dark pinwheels. I'm planning to frame this with a narrow border of the gray.

I've been spaced out since I ventured into our local Hobby Lobby yesterday. I thought the store's air quality was acceptable at the outset but the longer I was in there the more I felt the effects of the toxins in the environment. It was worst at the checkout stand. The sweet young lady on duty was wearing something that was particularly bad for me. I don't know what it was and didn't bother to enquire. How do you do that delicately anyway? "I'm sorry, what deodorant/perfume/hair products are you wearing? Do you use those wickedly scented laundry products (I could name names but won't) to clean your clothes?" I did make some comment about how quickly I was losing ground and she very politely stepped back away from me as well as she could. The mask I wear helps to convey the seriousness of my affliction I think.

In any event, it was a treat to browse their shelves of art and craft supplies. I got what I went in for and more besides. 😉 I have a new jigsaw puzzle to put together and a new companion to travel with me in my Chevy Bolt EV.

I had a skeleton Beanie Baby as a traveling companion in my previous car. This little guy, hanging in the back seat passenger window, has the added advantage of helping us to identify our vehicle in a parking lot full of SUV's. Any more the only colors you see around town are white, black, various shades of gray, and red. Both my son and I have gone to the wrong red SUV after coming out of stores since we acquired the Bolt!

Summertime...

And the livin' ain't easy, at least not around here. I open the windows overnight or when I get up in the mornings to bring in as much cool air as possible. Unfortunately, that also brings in toxins I don't always detect until it's too late. So I've been living with the consequences: headaches, irritability, and lethargy. We have a portable air conditioning unit but it doesn't reach to my studio space effectively. I have to say that it does a nice job of cleaning the air of pollutants though. I just don't like running it. It's noisy for one thing. And natural air conditioning is cheaper. Still, I'm lucky to have it.

My two quilts have come back from the quilt show and been turned in to the county fair. No ribbons from the quilt show, and I don't expect any from the fair. I'm very pleased with them though, and wanted to give them as much exposure as possible. 😉

I've been doing a lot of needlework this past week. Most of it would qualify for the next SAL or a Bee, Myself and I post so I'm reluctant to share it with you until then. Once this spate of embroidery passes I may not do any more for quite some time!

You might remember I was waiting for a frame on which to mount my sugar skull cat canvas.

Since it arrived I've done quite a bit of work on her:

It's just the mindless sort of stitching I need at times like this. Of course I'll be using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe flosses, aside from the DMC black. I've only chosen the orange for the cat's head so far. One thing at a time. 😊

I know quilters and stitchers alike enjoy audiobooks while they work. I prefer to have my little television set to the classic movie channel, TCM. I can generally follow the story without getting so involved that I stop stitching - which would likely happen with an audiobook. I think I've mentioned that I recently discovered a couple of podcasts I also enjoy, Fiber Talk and Stitchery Stories. Stitchery Stories is out of England and recently celebrated her 2nd anniversary. Fiber Talk has provided listeners with the perfect excuse for the purchases they end up making as a result of their podcasts: #fibertalkmademedoit. If I were on Instagram I would totally be using that hashtag!

This Little Piggy...

Is finally done!

This is the fourth piggy bank coin purse I've stitched. One for each granddaughter. 😊

Here's the complete set:

The background colors were not necessarily chosen according to the girl's preferences. More like those were the colors I had enough of from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. The plan is to present these at the end of the school year with a bit of mad money in each one. By the way, there's another give away going on over at the VMSS. You could win a gorgeous set of pinks from light to dark if you sign up as a follower. 😀

Now I have to come up with new stitching projects. (Aw darn!) Actually, the next gingerbread house to embroider has come from Joy. I also picked up an orphan stamped pillowcase from an Etsy shop to stitch. It's just a matter of selecting colors and getting started.

There have been a couple of extraordinary events behind the scenes of The Magpie's Nest lately. The first one wasn't so good. This happened to my studio chair.

Just to clarify, we didn't take it apart on purpose, it broke. Then Hubby took it apart further to see if he could repair it for me. I've tried to find a replacement chair in the past but never came up with something that fit the space I have or my small frame. So I've been using a cushion to compensate for the flattened upholstery and carried on. Fortunately, Hubby was able to weld the bits back together and I'm good to go once more. Or at least as good as I ever was. 😉

And speaking of being able to go, these are my new wheels!

Sorry about the fence being in the way. This is a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. Yes, an electric car! It seems ideal for me since I cannot go to a gas station without serious side effects. My husband had the job of keeping my old Saturn Ion fueled up. Not any more! Now I can plug this one into the outlet on the exterior of the garage front and it'll be ready for the next short trip I make around town. Short trips are all I do anymore anyway. Too much exposure to the exhaust fumes on a freeway will also have a debilitating effect on my system. Although this newer vehicle may be safer for longer trips than the old Saturn, more air-tight as it were. Still, it's not like I have much of anywhere to go where I can safely get out of the car. The other blessing in finding this car was that the interior seemed neutral, already off-gassed and not impregnated with anyone's cologne or "air fresheners." It's outfitted with all the newest electronics however. I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming all the way, into the 21st century. Can't say I'm entirely comfortable with them yet although I do see the advantage of the back-up camera. I'm sure I'll adapt after I've spent more time in the car.
😊

Welcome November?

I declare, I thought things would get better when the smoke from the wildfires cleared. That hasn't been the case. There have been a few days of good air quality but every time I step outside it seems to be toxic. Our mailbox is just across the street with half a dozen others. I can't even go get the mail - with my mask on - without being negatively affected. The physical reactions are not as severe as they used to be, at least not usually, but they are still disabling. The worst part of it now seems to be the emotional toll. When I have two good days and then a string of four or more bad days it gets depressing. On top of that I'm having to curtail my quilt making activities in order to facilitate healing in my left elbow. There's been progress on that front but it's not enough that I feel I can start back up again yet. {sigh} The last thing I worked on was auditioning focal elements for the Queens of 'Ween quilt-to-be.

This was the first potential layout I tried. There are others but I'll share them in a dedicated post. I haven't been in the mood to play with any of the blocks I've already made. That would require emotional/creative energy I just don't have at the moment.

Fortunately there was a small needlepoint case I started some time ago I was able to pick up and work on. It's a duplicate of a kit I stitched up last year. Well, nearly. I changed the colors to better fit the taste of the intended recipient.

This is the original:

This is a teal fox on a gray background. I really didn't want to stitch another gray background. And I wanted to use some of the hand dyed flosses I've been collecting. I chose a purple for the fox, lavender and a neon green for the plaid and chevron stripes. I stitched quite a bit of those colors before turning my attention to the background. Not a smart decision as it turned out.

Every color I tried for the background was either too dark and would blend into the fox's head or too close in value to the lavender floss and become visually mushy. I was concerned that the lighter value hues would blend in with the fox's white whiskers. This light orange seemed to be the best choice from what I had available to me. I'm not happy with it but I wasn't prepared to take out all the lavender stitches to try another shade. It is what it is. Now the question is, what next? (I ask that question a lot!) Holding these small cases with my left hand doesn't seem to aggravate the elbow, as long as I don't stitch for too long a stretch at a time. I have a couple more blank cases on hand, I just have to come up with a pattern and then the color palette. It's these decisions I struggle with when I'm not feeling up to snuff.

Another aspect of the emotional toll of chemical sensitivities is that I don't have the energy to visit other blogs. I have to be careful not to get overwhelmed by the activities and energy that other creatives appear to have. That would only serve to deepen any depression I might be experiencing. The one lesson I'm learning from this affliction is the art of self preservation!

An Essay on Isolation

With the advent of the holiday season I find myself feeling more isolated than usual. If you've looked over this blog carefully you know that I suffer from extreme chemical sensitivities. That means the merest whiff of a product with any degree of petroleum or synthetic chemicals in it gives me, at the very least, a headache that lasts for 24 hours on average. More typically I will have not only the headache but also chills, become lightheaded, sometimes nauseous, and suffer an inability to think or process information. My reactions slow, and my temper flares. I’ve been known to unaccountably burst into tears. These reactions are most often short-lived, but they tend to be followed by depression. Consequently, negative reinforcement has made it preferable for me to stay home, inside my detoxified little house, and have very limited contact with people outside of my immediate family. Given that I am naturally a more solitary individual than most people seem to be this isn’t usually a hardship. However, it does take a toll over time, and the holidays can be especially difficult. Everyone else seems to be running around doing things and going places and here I sit, all but trapped within the walls of my home.

While I may be more comfortable in my solitude than others, I am also an artist who feeds on visual and tactile stimulation. Textiles or fibers are my medium of choice. Back in the day I was an active member of embroidery and quilt groups. I went to shows, galleries, and exhibits as often as I could. I loved to browse department stores and craft markets. Shopping, although not necessarily buying, was an effective way to fill my artistic well because I could touch as well as see the delights on offer. The experience of being among other people, even if I didn’t interact with them directly, was energizing. (Most of the time anyway. Everyone has bad shopping experiences!) All of this has been taken away from me - unless I want to pay a very high price for a very short excursion. The brevity of my endurance is just as frustrating as not going at all.

I am fortunate to live in a time when I can shop online. I can still purchase supplies, I can see what others are making, and I can converse with them after a fashion. The challenge for me is that I’m not technologically inclined. If it weren’t for my chemical sensitivities I probably wouldn’t use a computer for anything other than email. I’m not interested in going digital in any sense of the word. In that respect I’m a Luddite. In fact, I still have a flip phone, not a smart phone. While the computer makes it possible for me to stay more-or-less connected with the outside world it cannot replace the experience of seeing a quilt or painting in person, of handling a ceramic vase, or give me the ability to turn something over to see the back or bottom of a piece. It can be hard to get an accurate idea of the size of an object when you only see a picture of it, never mind the accuracy of color representation! The virtual feast offered by blogs and Pinterest, etc. is helpful but often unsatisfactory.

Occasionally, all of these factors combine and overwhelm me. Creativity comes to a halt. There isn’t energy or desire even for mindless piecing. I find that truly frightening. Fortunately, there have only been a handful of times when this state of being persisted. Books and movies seem to provide a useful escape. I just have to remember not to panic, to trust that “this too shall pass,” and ride the wave. I am grateful to have been blessed with the gift of faith. I may grouse and complain during difficult times but underneath it all I have confidence that God knows my suffering and will turn it to good purpose eventually. I just have to "hang in there baby!" 😉

Living With Chemical Sensitivities

I've done it again. Without stepping outside the walls of my home all day yesterday I still managed to run into toxic fumes that have made me ill. This time it was the new Keepsake Quilting catalog that I couldn't resist peeking into. It's much safer for me if I can exercise some self control when those things come and let them air out a day or two before studying the contents. It's rare that I have that much self control however.

The day before yesterday it was my husband who inadvertently brought toxic fumes into my environment. He has a co-worker who wears potent fragrance (a male). Enough of those particles cling to my husband's suit jacket or sweater that it sets me off when he comes home. We learned long ago that it's best for me if he changes his clothes and showers (washing his hair) when he comes home from church before we get close to one another. Apparently he should have done that when he came home from work the other day.

If I expect to be in a toxic environment I can prepare by packing frozen blueberries to eat as soon as I leave that environment. About half a cup makes a huge difference in how violent my reaction will be, depending on what and how long the exposure is. Blueberries make it possible for me to shop locally. I will still have a reaction but generally it's bearable.

I have made changes in my diet that have made it possible for my body to rid itself of  a great deal of the toxins that had accumulated in my organs and tissues. Unfortunately it's probably not possible to get rid of all of it. And every new exposure just retards the process that much more.

Riding this roller coaster of well being and illness is frustrating to say the least. The most bizarre effect in my opinion is that some toxins actually seem to cause changes in my mood, my personality. That's unnerving. Fortunately it's doesn't happen often. Still, it makes me think twice - or three times - before I go anywhere.

Short rides in the car seem to be okay. It's worse during the winter months because I can't use the recirculate feature in the air conditioning/defrost system. Using the air conditioning helps to filter the air coming into the car's interior. When the defrost setting is in play more toxins are allowed in. I can't drive with my carbon filter mask over my nose and mouth for very long because my glasses fog up. My husband has to put gas in my car (I can't tolerate the immediate area in and around a service station) and do the weekly shopping. It's all a balancing act, and sometimes it gets very tiresome. I never know, from one day to the next, how I'm going to be feeling or what I may be able to accomplish. That hasn't helped me to work with more dedication when I do feel good though. I'm still working on that stumbling block. And right now I'm on the lookout for an engaging project that won't set back the healing in my arm and shoulder. Many are tempting but few are suited for my current circumstances!

Dolls and Quilts

I was feeling the need for some visual inspiration late last week. In general I don't find it satisfying to surf the 'net for that kind of thing. I want to experience it in person if at all possible. Obviously it's not that possible anymore. Books and magazines are where I used to go next, but now I have to be very careful of printed material. Since my diagnosis I have had to wean myself away from the quilting magazines I used to rely on for visual input. Over the course of time I have learned that the publications produced by Stampington & Co. are safer for me than most others. So I walked into JoAnn Fabrics last Friday, knowing full well that I would have to pay the price for going into such a toxic atmosphere, but I had to have something new to look at! This is what I came away with:

Prims is a volume dedicated to primitive dolls. Sew Somerset is a compendium of various sewn items, from small quilts to fiber journals.

There's something about dolls, whether they are sophisticated, finely crafted sculptures or simple rag dolls or weird squishy creatures, that appeals to me. I think it may be that I enjoy seeing the result of someone else's creative energies at work. But it's more than that because that can shine through other types of artwork as well. Maybe it has something to do with my love of story. Quilts don't tell their tales as readily as dolls do. Dolls also allow us to create our own stories in a way that most quilts don't.

What I am most intrigued by in Sew Somerset are the fiber books. There aren't stories involved necessarily, but they hint at one at least. Or they are lovely ways to store needles and pins and the other little tools of the trade. Just delicious. I'm probably going to have to make one for myself in the not-too-distant future. ;- )

After I recovered somewhat from my excursion in to JoAnn's I played around with my scrappy Broken Dishes blocks. I really liked the rectangular format the newest blocks had fallen into so I just kept that format. This is what I ended up with; it would finish at about 13.5 x 18 inches.

But the granddaughters were here yesterday so I asked for their input on this potential doll quilt. Mostly I wanted to know whether the rectangle would work for them or whether it needed to be bigger, or square, or something else. DD gave me her suggestions, based on how she has seen doll quilts get used in their home. The girls didn't quite understand what I was asking so I pulled out my bin of strings and let them have at it. This is what they created:

I may sew the strips together to make a back for the quilt...

Today I had enough energy to lay my chevron text blocks out on the living room floor.

There has been much rearranging in an effort to keep the same print from showing up too close to itself. Reilly got a little bored with the process.

The blocks are still on the floor as I write this. I think I have them in the final layout but needed to take a break before I start labeling them so I can keep them in order when I get them back to the studio. Fortunately I have several hours before someone will need to walk across the floor. I don't expect Reilly will mess them up, and since we have no cats I feel pretty safe leaving them in place!

An Excursion

I haven't been out to the La Conner Quilt Museum in over a year. It may very well be much longer than that; I lose track of time easily. The building itself has been under renovation for a couple of years now. Between that and the visitors who all bring in their own scents and toxins it's just not a safe place for me to be. I had to go this week though, to see the beaded quilts made by Thom Atkins. It was a painful 24 hours afterward but it was worth it in the long run.

The museum had some of its permanent collection on display on the main floor.


Thom's quilts were on the second floor, and the quilts and wearable art of Susanne Staton are on display on the third floor. All of it is outstanding. I was most surprised by the size of some of the beaded quilts. He has a quilt featuring a toucan that, if I remember correctly, is something like 54" wide and 84" long! I took pictures but most of them are not worth sharing. Here's a detail shot of a centipede crawling up the tree the toucan is sitting in:



And here's another detail shot, but from another quilt:



What I was most curious about was where he finds some of his beads. He has huge glass bead leaves and the bodies of beetles that I've never seen anywhere! The only answer I can come up with on my own is that he lives in California. You can get things there you won't find anywhere else in the country, except maybe New York City. ;- )

In the museum's gift shop I was delighted to find a herd of cloth dolls made by an old friend, Gloria Burke. We used to be in a doll club together - back before my MCS diagnosis put the kibosh on classes and group activities. The dolls were very reasonably priced so I brought one home with me. I was feeling very sorry for myself by that time, unable to even crack open any of the intriguing new books in the gift shop for fear of making myself sicker than I already was at that point. On the way back to my car I took the opportunity to pop into one of the many delectable stores in downtown La Conner. That's where I found the perfect pet for my new doll: a scarlet macaw ornament that was made in Guatemala.

I believe I'm going to name the doll Scarlett. Like me, she obviously loves the color red. The macaw will be Buttons, in honor of a scarlet macaw I once knew very well by that name. One of my many retail experiences was co-managing a pet store. The original Buttons belonged to the store owner and lived in the store. Definitely one of the highlights of that particular job!

I found a volunteer long arm quilter for Who Let the Dogs Out?! so I am now free to move on to my next project. It may be time to play with those text prints I've been collecting lately...

Time For A Change

We are experiencing a stagnant air alert here on the north left coast of the USA. Consequently I'm having more trouble than usual. Can't poke my head out the door without being affected. There's been no progress on the Halloween stars; I've neither made more nor put what I already have on the design wall to see what else I might want.

It felt like a major accomplishment yesterday to make two of these little six inch basket blocks:

The snowflake background and peppermint candies in the basket are as close as I've come to the Christmas spirit so far this season. At least in the quilt studio. Our fresh-cut tree is up and the lights are on, courtesy of my son. I've managed to put out the Christmas hand towels and potholders. My fear is that by the time we get everything ready for Christmas it will be New Year's! Hopefully it won't be long before the high pressure in our atmosphere lifts so the air can clear a bit. And maybe then I'll have some energy again...

Sunshine and Shadows

We've had a few days of lovely sunshine lately. In spite of that I've haven't been at the top of my game. Pictures of what I've sewn are still in the camera and I don't have the energy to download and tweak them. I do, however, have pictures of a couple of quilts my friend C~ created recently. This first one was made of orphan blocks and bits. I believe it all began with the giant turtle at the top of the quilt.


She found a couple of other turtle blocks; they have 3D heads and feet. There's a house block and a little triangular chicken. Lots of fun things for a child to enjoy. :- )

She also left this small crazy quilt with me to bind.


I found the perfect fabric to use for the binding too. It's a stripey print with oranges and purples in it. The binding is on, the quilt is ready to be returned to C~, but I don't believe I have a shot of the finished product. Gotta do that before she comes to collect it! She gave me some scraps from this quilt; they will be fun to play with when I'm feeling more the thing. Which brings me to the shadows part of this post. Feel free to exit stage right (or left, depending on your preference) at this point.

I get so frustrated when my body shuts down like this. I ran into the slightest bit of fragrance and now I'm barely functioning. It nearly always begins with a burning sensation in my sinuses. That turns into an intense headache that no ordinary analgesic will tame. Many hours later I'm lethargic and slightly-to-moderately depressed. I know that the depression is a direct result of chemical exposure, not merely sadness or discouragement - although there are elements of both of those emotions present. I've paid close attention over the years since I was made aware of the potential effects of chemicals on sensitive systems. I now suspect that the depression I suffered for years before the MCS diagnosis was actually chemically induced a lot of the time. There were other challenges in my life of course, everyone has them, but I bet they would not have been the mountains they were had I not been suffering from serious chemical exposures on a daily basis.

My intention is not to be a downer but rather to try to educate anyone who may be reading this post on the prevalence and the powerful effects of the miasma of chemicals in our environment. The simplest, most innocent products can contain toxic elements. Rarely will you find any ingredients listed on a label. Consumers have no way to protect themselves or their families in most cases, short of just not buying the products (which is pretty much what I've had to resort to). It's totally a case of "let the buyer beware" but in this busy world who has the time to do the research? Who even wants to? I sure don't. And I wouldn't if I weren't forced into it. Just know that the lotion you slather on your skin, the shampoo you use in your hair, the perfume you put on your body, the cleaning agents and fragrances you use in your home all have toxic ingredients. Your body absorbs them and over time they build up. Some of them cause cancer. If you're lucky your liver and other organs are able to process them appropriately. My liver can't even process the low levels of these toxins so I have to be extra careful. And I suffer whenever I'm not able to adequately protect myself.

Hopefully what I'm experiencing now will have passed by the end of this day and I'll have my energy and enthusiasm back tomorrow. There is much in my world to rejoice over and I want to share those things with you more than I want to share my misery. Again, my only goal in sharing my misery is to enlighten and educate to the best of my limited abilities. If you've hung in with me this far I thank you and I hope you benefit somehow from my experiences.

Up and Down

It has been another of those challenging weeks for me. I think winter is more difficult partly because I can't use the recirculating feature in my car's air conditioning system when I have to use the defrost setting. Since I refuse to be completely homebound more of the exhaust fumes from other vehicles get into my car when I do go out and about. Exhaust fumes are a huge trigger for me. I can't handle anything with a petroleum base to it. I've resorted to wearing my mask in the car while I'm driving but sometimes my glasses get fogged up. And then they won't clear unless I take the mask off. Can you say vicious cycle?

While I was working on my Bead Journal Project for this month I discovered that I needed time to let the thing sit so I could come back to it with fresh eyes. I wasn't ready to turn away from beading altogether though. Back in December I had an idea for my December ornament for last year's Project; I'd just never acted on it. So inbetween stints on the ATC for January I cut out the foundation and fabric for December. The actual embellishment didn't take very long.


I started with the feather, then added the 'hope' bead, then filled in with the star sequins. I was thinking of the Emily Dickinson quote, "Hope is that thing with feathers..." (in case you hadn't guessed!). My experience of the end of one year and the beginning of a new one make me see it as a time full of hope.

This ornament turned out pretty much the way I had envisioned it. That's satisfying. It was also satisfying to have it done so quickly. Now there's only one gap in my collection for 2010 (the month of June, my birth month).

After I finished the January ATC and the December ornament I still wasn't ready to put the beads away. A Creative Dreamer's Creativity Challenge for January is "white." I've thought about several ways I could respond to that challenge. Needing something to bead I decided to get out the white and irridescent beads to see what would develop.

Once this is completed I may be ready to turn back to my fabric stash. I've got Janet's intuition block on my design wall, patiently waiting for me to come play with her. I've also got a gift quilt I'd like to make. I'm still looking for the right pattern or design for that one though. In the meantime you may want to keep an eye on the Magpie's Nest to see what I do with this bit of white beadwork. ;- )

Unsettled

When I found that picture of the back cover of my sketchbook (for the Sketchbook Project) I realized how much further I'd come since that photo was taken. Here's a picture of the final version of my sketchbook:


With that done and gone it was time to turn my attention to another project. I'm not quite ready to tackle the next step of my Intuition quilt so I thought I'd have a go at another block built intuitively to send to Janet for our intuition swap. I had a short stack of bright scrappy blocks I'd made a few months ago. This seemed like a good time to bring them out and see what I could do with them. None of them were anywhere near 12" yet. I sewed a few together and came up with this:

Still not 12" but a lot closer! None of the other units seemed to work well together so I figured it was time to start some new pieces. I got into the itty-bitty scraps bin and sewed odd triangles together.

What surprised me was that this began to feel like a chore to me. Now I realize that I was probably thinking too hard about what to put where. But what I did was switch projects instead.

In my stash there was also a bunch of neutral scraps that I had sewn together at some point in time. I got those out to see what would happen with them. Mostly I only had two or three pieces sewn together when I began, like what you see at the top of the picture below.

I started combining the small units into bigger units. I also let myself sew some into long strips:

I have no idea at this point what this may turn into. I may put it all away again and do some beading instead. I don't want to send neutrals to Janet because I know she likes bright colors.

I'm feeling unsettled, dissatisfied. I suspect I may still be recovering from a toxic exposure. It's very challenging when you don't even realize you've been exposed - often I can't detect the fumes that are going to make me ill - and then suddenly you realize that you're experiencing symptoms of exposure. At least now I know to go back and track my actions. There is some comfort in discovering that there probably was a toxic event that would account for the downturn in my well being. I just wish I could find the trick for making it go away faster!

Something New & Different

A new look and a different kind of project!

When I was visiting over at Bumble Beans a while back I noticed a new badge on her side bar. Feeling all brave and adventurous I clicked on the badge and learned about this:

At first I thought I wouldn't sign up because they wanted participants to choose from a list of suggested topics. But then I read the list more closely and saw the category, "Jackets, blankets, and sheets." How many times have you heard a quilt referred to as a blanket? Still, I hesitated to sign up. I'm not one who draws by nature. It seems to me to require a type of patience I do not possess. I can sew a thousand tiny seed beads onto a quilt without complaint but don't ask me to slow down enough to really see an object in the way that is necessary to replicate it on paper!

I couldn't sleep that night for all the ideas that cropped up for ways to "sketch" about quilts or blankets or sheets. So the next day I went back to the website and signed up. A couple of weeks later this arrived in my mailbox:

It's about 5" x 8" and not terribly thick (meaning I don't have a lot of pages to fill up!). I intend to make it thicker though. The very first page I did was one to demonstrate the three layers that make a quilt a quilt. I found an old cheater print in my stash and cut it to size.

Then I found a piece of thinner batting, laid it under the fabric, and quilted it to the page.

I didn't do a lot of quilting because I wanted the layers to float free so folks could peel them back to see exactly what goes inside a quilt.

On the facing page I intend to put some text about basic quilt construction. I'm a little reluctant to write it out by hand because I can't always control the quality of my printing or writing. It would be so much more personal if I did it that way though. So maybe I'll write out the text elsewhere and then copy it over when I'm having a good day. (I just thought of that; it's not a bad idea. Honestly, sometimes the only way to find out what I'm thinking is to journal it somewhere, somehow!)

I have to be very careful about what media I use in my artwork. That's one reason I stick to fabric and beads for the most part. I already know what the parameters are to stay healthy. When it comes to pens or markers or paints there's always the risk of running into something my body won't like. Adhesives are out for the most part. I use a lot of double sided tape when I want to collage papers.

It will be fun to come up with ways to fill the sketchbook that may not involve drawing or sketching. But one reason I signed up was to practice being gentle and compassionate with myself, to allow myself to be a beginner. I've been to our local independent art supply store (we're lucky to have one) and bought some new toys to play with: chalk pastels, watercolor pencils and a waterbrush, and a Micron pen with the largest nib I've ever seen on a Micron pen. I use Micron Pigma pens to sign my quilts so I know the pen won't make me ill when I use it. I'll probaly have to spend some time on YouTube learning how to use these new-to-me materials too. Fun, fun, fun!

Second Day of Autumn

Okay, I feel I should let my readers know that things are beginning to look up again. It may not last long because I went to the thrift shop this morning and consequently may have to go through another (hopefully brief) round of depression during the recovery process, but at least I'm feeling more able to cope. Even the rash on the back of my hand is finally looking better.

This business of being chronically ill is a real learning experience, let me tell you. I get discouraged because I feel so young still. It makes me wonder what in the world my life will be like when I am truly elderly.

I spent yesterday in Regency England again. Apparently I need to get as far away from reality as possible every so often. I picked up Redwall at the thrift shop this morning; I've never read it before even though I've known about it for years. Or I may reread the Magic series by Ilona Andrews instead.

I'm feeling better but I'm not ready to sew yet. Before I try to sew I'm going to have to deal with the piles that have accumulated on my cutting table. At least the ironing board is still pretty clear. And look! My mums have survived the summer and are blooming right on cue. :- )