Another Quilt With the Feel of Africa

I decided that Kalahari Fire Ring was very flat and lacking in the detail that I like, so I decided to try something using the Cathedral Window block. I think these fabrics are more vibrant, and that satisfies my interpretation of African textiles. I had to dedicate a piece of fabric for the windows that was earmarked for a vest lining, because I fussy cut the windows. The repeat on the fabric was so large that I had to break it down to 3 sets of 4 windows each. The center four were one, the remaining 8 were two different cuts. I like the red/orange in the center of this a lot. The fact that the windows were cut from leaf shapes also echoed the leaf prints in the black fabric, and I like that kind of continuity in my work, if I can make it happen.

My closeups always look distorted...but this is 12.5" square

These 3 black fabrics were companion pieces that I got from a shop in Columbus Ohio, and I liked that they all felt organic in the design. My method for hanging these small pieces is to get a wooden dowel, and cut it to fit inside the sleeve. I then wrap tape around the ends and screw in eyelets. The tape prevents the wood from splitting, and I  can use a smaller dowel that doesn't distort the front of the quilt. There is no weight to speak of, so this can be hung with straight pins. They don't leave much of a mark, and it can be moved around without too much wall damage. It's how I hang all my pieces here, and it works very well. I also like that there is no visible hanging hardware.

My next Cathedral Window experiment will include rectangle blocks that impart a bit of a 3-D effect. This pattern uses a LOT of fabric and needs a LOT of hand stitching, but I like the result, so I think I'm going to work on another piece.

...And I Begin Again...

Epic failure at this blog, but I am going to give it another go.
Most important, the husband was able to resume his travel after the medical adventures, and the first trip was to Japan in January. Quite a big step across the ocean for a first go, but it was uneventful.
I was a little twitchy, with him on another continent, meds, and a list of the meds packed in his carry-on bag. I tried to get the list for him from the pharmacy, and they told me they couldn't give it to me, that he would have to come pick it up. "Really?" I said. "You will let me pick up his drugs and call in refills, but you won't give me a list of his drugs?"
"It's a privacy matter." they said.
"Well, it's a convenience matter for us, because his hours are long and I do as much as possible to clean up the fringe for him by doing things like this."
"Sorry Mrs. Yates, but he will have to come in himself."
And they didn't even ask him for his ID, to be sure they weren't giving it to the wrong person.
Add two more trips to Pearl Harbor in May and June, and you have a ballistic missile man who is back on the horse. The last two trips were successful test missions, so, Yay! Oh, and I also had a hysterectomy in August of 2011, so with that, and moving from the river in October of that year explains a lot of why I didn't keep up my rambling....uh...I mean blogging.

On to more things:
Another baby quilt is in the works. AJ & Lea are expecting their first baby, a son, named Lyric, in September. She has such a way about her, and tells her husband on Facebook that she 'loves him to the moon and back'

Well, this quilt was a no-brainer, given that way of sharing love, so Lyric's quilt will reflect those words, surrounded by blue patchwork. I am going to put a hanging sleeve on it, in case she wants to hang it on the wall, but it will be easily removed if she wants to cover him up with it.

This is the center panel, and I am stitching the letters down before layering and quilting it. The strips of fabric under it, to the right are being sliced for a wall hanging. I need to make up for lost time, and so at least two projects are up for prep work, along with the quilt which I hope to have done it a week.

There, Peg. That wasn't so hard, was it. A little bit, every few days, and you will be an official blogger.
PHOTOS©pegyates/2012

Baby Slippers

The center square in these pieced blocks is 1/4". My vision may never be the same.

Last pair of shoes done, and I would probably make another pair, but I am tired of sewing for a while. I get muscle aches from sitting so tensely and I keep making myself relax, but it doesn't last. I wish I could sew lying down, that would make things sew! much easier. I am glad, however, that I decided to make these gifts. I know how I felt when I got handmade things, and handmade baby gifts are extra special. I think I need a nap.
PHOTO ©pegyates/2011