Two Months In

I'm making a big deal out of this Kawandi finish because the feeling of "being finished" with something is a rarity these days. This is the fourth Siddi-style quilt I've made since last fall, and the second one I made using my grandmother' fabric scraps. It's such a good way to showcase lots of prints, and even a couple solids I found among the prints. 

As before, I hand quilted with 12-weight Aurifil thread, color 2021 which is a natural white.

This Alison Glass "Diving Board" print (I don't care for it, but it came in a bundle) works as a backing.

I machine-sewed together two labels that I then hand-stitched to the backing. The custom label of my blog logo is from Jennifer's Jewels; the pre-made label, "You Can't Buy This" is from Kylie and the Machine Thecrafttable in Orlando is now selling them.

As of Sunday evening, I've taken two of the "Asymmetrial Symmetry" virtual classes with Maria Shell (two more to go), and may I just flat-out say, "She's kickin' my butt!"

I signed up, intentionally, to learn how to design. Designing is a huge short-coming in my quiltmaking bag 'o tricks, so I thought I'd learn from the best. I've already taken design workshops with Sherri Lynn Wood; Melanie Tuazon; and Carson Converse. My incompetence doesn't come from any of them. I can't seem to get how to design into my dense head! 

Our workshop goal is to design and make (by Valentine's Day) a four-quadrant composition that expresses four different ideas/inspirations, using symmetry in the design, but asymmetry in the components. 

My four quadrants represent: 1) a favorite song: "I'll Fly Away"; 2) my front yard Bismarck palm; 3) an Iowa wind farm; and 4) architectural staircases. I drew this design and then consulted with Maria during class. She suggested that I reconsider the center section, so I intend to piece each whole quadrant first, then deal with the center if it's a problem.

She suggested several ways to use solid fabrics (not prints) in a composition. I chose the one where SIX colors are used in every one of the four quadrants, with SIX different colors used once in a quadrant. That's a total of 30 different colors in the project! The six repeated solids are those laying across the top of these piles - yellow, ginger (the most acceptable, to me, color of "ick" brown), light and dark greens, turquoise, and white.

The good part about this workshop is feeling confident about my ability to choose colors, with a basic understanding of contrast, value, and flat-out "beautiful," as Maria admonishes us to "choose beautiful colors."

I'm self-satisfied about buying 111 yards of Painter's Palette solids in 2020, and putting them to good use.

On my design wall, I taped-out 40" X 50", the largest composition size Maria suggests. I have begun making bits for two of the four quadrants, thinking to work-up a a few bits for each section before committing to making more of them. The lower right is "staircases." The lower left is "windmills." 

Right now, all of it feels "meh," but I'll keep plugging away. 

Hubs and I have put our names on Florida's state registry of residents who are 65+ years old and want a Coronavirus vaccination. We're in a very long queue to receive notification about when and where to go for it. No doubt it will be months until it's our turn.

Pastor Mike nailed Sunday's sermon about miracles (available here on YouTube) - called "signs of the times" in the New Testament. We shouldn't expect them to come from God; we need to look to God to see them. 

These are some of the real Signs of the Times we've been seeing.

For those who have lost track, today is blursday the fortyteenth of maprilay. 😂

Book Recommendation 

My fifth book finish in January: A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos. This is the first in a three-book series called Mirror Visitor Quartet. As I seldom read fantasy fiction, I have mixed emotions about this one which involves a make-believe world with countries called Arks; people with super-natural abilities such as stepping through mirrors to get from one place to another; a whole family being able to listen-in on a conversation when one member of that member is in conversation; and being able to deliver bodily blows to a person without actually touching them.

The story follows Ophelia, a young girl gifted with the ability to "read" history simply by touching an object. After refusing several arranged marriages, her parents resort to a marriage broker who pledges Ophelia to Thorn, a gruff, giant-sized man from the Dragon clan. Her engagement means moving to the Ark of Pole, where she is disguised until it's time to be presented. While hidden, Ophelia learns the ways of Pole people who she determines mean to use her for her reading ability. The second book in the series is The Missing of Clairedelune.

Linda's score: 4.0/5.0

Linda