Hexagon Quilts, The Guest Room, And a Photo Shoot

When I say I get to indulge myself in pink in the guest room, I mean it!  The carpeting was in place when I bought the house . . . don't know if I would be so brave as to select pink carpeting, but I am very glad it is there.  And the walls are as pink as the carpet . . . that is my doing.  If you get disoriented, you'd think you'd fallen into a tub o' raspberry sorbet.

I've been struggling with lighting and getting good pictures of quilts.  I'm paying attention to white balance and color setting on the camera, but that can compensate only so much for getting the lighting right.

So I made a 'photography lamp' . . . an antique pole lamp that I never got around to restoring and a clip on light from the basement.  It helps.  And it is so me, the queen of make-do, right-now and it-didn't-cost-anything.

The pic above is the edited photo.  The pic just below is the original which I was quite tickled with because it's my best shot yet for my efforts . . . but the color wasn't right, it was a little crooked and I didn't think about the things under the bed showing.

The original photo with notes on the fixes.

The editing on this photo was done with ArcSoft.  I especially like the Straighten tool since many of my pics are just a bit off level, and the Clone tool.  Cloning lets you get rid of things . . . like boxes and area rugs under the bed.

The guest room has two twin beds so I better like the quilt pattern I'm doing since I have to make two of them!  This set of quilts is a suite of quilted things . . . I keep sewing until there is next to nothing for scraps.

Each bed has an applique house pillow.  And a nap time hourglass quilt.

Pillow sham used up a bunch of scraps.  I love the little throw pillows . . the design is driven by what there is for scraps.  That's how I play the scrap game, trying not to cut more fabric . . . I think I'm channeling the thrifty sensibilities of my grandmother's.  They left their indelible mark.

And each bedside table has a little hexagon topper from the hexes that were left over.  The loopy meander quilting is the same quilting I did on the quilts . . . it goes fast and is cute.

. . . and a runner for the dresser

Quilted curtains that I made years ago, early in my quilting life.  I love this little dormer area . . . you have to bend over to walk into it.  Sometimes you remember not to hit your head.

A glimpse of the bed on the left.  The little wicker chair that was a Christmas present from Papou and Yiayia one year . . . each of the cousins got one.  I'm so sentimental about these little things, it is why I have a bit too full house.  It sometimes makes me crazy, but not crazy enough the part with the memories of  Papou and Yiayia, and Christmas and the little wicker chairs.

Bears Paw Quilt on point in Sherbet Pastels

I love on point quilts.  I especially love Bears Paw blocks on point.  And I'm awfully fond of feminine fabrics with flowers in pretty pastel colors.  So there's no doubt on my part, I really love this quilt

Sherbet pastels on a crisp white background.

I made this thinking it would be a summer quilt.
But throw it over a down comforter and it would be
a wonderful cheerful winter quilt too.

The quilting ... swirly swirls.

I decided to contrast the pillow shams with strong
geometric lines.  I like the contrast.

There is a band of white fabric that runs the length
of one side of the back.  I just love the green fabric with
the little melon color flowers ... it has a sweet retro look.

I planned the design in EQ6 quilt software.  Actual color placement on the quilt does not match the EQ color version - I just set the color variety to capture the look and feel I want for the quilt.

I like this sort of artsy pic . . .
reflection of the quilt in an antique dressing table mirror.

A quilt was sold in my Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/104974908/handmade-full-or-queen-quilt-shams-too?ref=cat1_gallery_8

Update 4/19/14 - Cutting sizes for the Bears Paw Block

The quilt was designed in EQ and the block was set at 10 inch finished, which gave me the dimensions I was looking for in the finished quilt (94 x 94 which will end up about 89 x 89 once it is washed).

The sashing is 3 inches .... so each of the strips is cut to 1 1/2".  The center strip of all the color fabrics was a great way to use up little leftover bits.  The 9 patch corned blocks are cut the same 1 1/2" for a finished 3 inch nine patch.

The patches outlined to make it easier
to see how the blocks are pieced together.

Just this inner portion of the quilt measures
74 1/4 inch x 74 1/4 inch.

The next border gave me fits.
I will be no help to you in how to do this border
unless you get your own EQ program to figure it out.

The last outer border can be sized however you like
to use up your scraps, and get the quilt to the
size you want.

Amy Butler Quilt . . . Birds in Air

I love this quilt.  I love the colors. I love the jumbled blend of triangles of the Birds in Air pattern.

I must confess, I am having to have some talking to's with myself, because I want to keep all the quilts I'm making for Etsy.  Bless my little Miss Piggy heart.   But I have found a compromise, I've told myself I can just make another one.  That's working so far.

For Sale on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/104821379/contemporary-twin-size-handmade-quilt

. . . hanging from the dogwood tree

I wanted to post additional close up pics of the fabrics, they are all so wonderful.  It also gives you an idea of the quilting which is a continuous line of free form feathers in the variegated thread.  It was very fun to do.

Nice soft puckering, just like the quilts my grandma made. This quilt has a really nice "hand".

If you look closely (click to enlarge), you can see that binding which I just love.  It is gradient colors from blue to aqua to lime green with polka dots!

Yellow and White Cross Stitch Quilt . . . Sweet as it can be

I bought this quilt in an antique store years ago.  It was love at first sight.  I've enjoyed having it displayed all these years, but now it's time for someone else to enjoy it's cheerfulness!

This quilt would be beautiful in a guest room.  Or on a young lady's bed.

This is one half the quilt . . . with my favorite block, the turquoise one! plus blue, pink and green.  The cross stitch workmanship is very good.

The other half . . . peach, purple, orange and yellow.  And the pastel variegated corner blocks.  I really like the diagonal piano key quilting on the edges too.

Sweet, Just plain sweet.

I'm not sure the vintage of this quilt . . . 80's maybe. 90's?  At any rate, I think it is
so nicely done it has a timeless quality.

Sold on Etsy ... this quilt traveled 2,267 miles
to it's new home in Michigan

The July Garden in Bloom

Matilija Poppy
This is by far my favorite flower in the garden.  It has a soft sweet fragrance in addition to it's happy clownish look-at-me flowers.  Also known as the fried egg flower.

It is unabashedly intrusive in my Pacific Northwest garden . . . and I give it full reign to do whatever it wants.  I've had to tie up some of the branches which had flopped onto the grass.  It has completely surrounded the Graham Thomas rose Evelyn . . . which I will rescue this fall.

Very Blue Lacecap Hydrangea

Blue is an elusive flower color in the garden but if  you can grow hydrangea's you have blue!  The soil in this area is just right to maintain blue without amending the PH.

Cecile Brunner rose . . . not the climbing variety.  This is planted in front of the playhouse and doesn't get as much sun as she should, but seems to bloom just fine.  I love the perfectly formed itty bitty buds.

There isn't much room in the yard for a vegetable garden that gets enough sun except this little strip along the house.  Making the most of the little spot, there are 4 heirloom tomato plants which are doing splendidly, and 3 poles of Blue Lake beans.  The tomatoes are indeterminate so when everything is in full fruit, it's quite a jumble.  I've never planted winter crops, but this year I'm going to plant a winter crop of collard greens in this area once the tomatoes and beans are done.

A little malformed yet very delicious strawberry.  Yes, that's an antique toilet that it's planted it.  There are 3 antique toilets in the garden with strawberries.  They are in a too shady part of the yard for strawberries, but a few malformed berries are better than no berries at all.

Cuban Oregano (plectranthus amboninicus).  This is new to the garden this year and is in a container as it is tender and I want to bring it inside for the winter.  Isn't it cheerful!  It is mulched with cocoa hulls.  The little start was from a piece that broke off and rooted readily without any more effort than sticking it in the soil.