Detached garages 02-29-08

When I travel I am always seeing and photographing one-car detached garages. They are almost all quite old, some so narrow that parking one of today's cars might be possible, but you would never get the doors open! In my area the garages are mostly doubles (or triples) and are built as part of the house. So, it is a wonder to me that I never noticed this one on the alley behind my automobile repair garage (where I just had the A/C in my van fixed for about $400 - groan). It may have been attached at one time, but whatever structure it depended on was replaced by an apartment building. People do quilts of houses, windows, doors, outhouses, mailboxes... I don't know why someday I can't do one with one-car detached garages!

One more quilt block 02-28-08

Here is another block to go with the other four, only this one is eight inches square. This is my version of what was called "cut & recut" thirty years ago. It was fun to revisit this technique, I always enjoyed doing it. I'll mail these blocks off tomorrow and cross the job off my list.

Inspiration 02-27-08

Making the little 4" blocks yesterday had me thinking about something that Karen Stiehl Osborn posted recently on the Quilt Art list. Someone had asked for suggestions to overcome a block in creativity. One method that Karen uses seems to me like using kindling to start a fire. The first thing she does in her studio each day is make a small collage in a notebook - no planning, no preset design, no agonizing. Just DO IT. This starts her 'fire' and pushes her into getting creative for the day. It can also be a reference when future 'cold starts' are needed. I like this idea a lot. Look at February 23 - 27 on Karen's blog.

http://stiehlosborn.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Thanks to Karen who sent me this picture of her little notebook.

Little quilt blocks 02-26-08

These little four inch blocks only took a few hours to make, but I have been procrastinating for months! The deadline is in about two weeks, so I decided I would just DO IT!

They need to be quilted and edge finished and will go to four different people. I don't quite understand how this project will work, but if I ever see one of the quilts put together I will take a picture and share it.

Design inspiration #2 02-25-08

Gingko leaves in North Carolina

Roadrunner in Arizona

This blooming grass was in a pot on the sidewalk in Seattle. I've never found a name for it.

There is always the bright wild sunflower from Colorado.

Design inspiration 02-25-08

I spent some time today going through my digital photos to find a design inspiration for the class I will take with Ruth McDowell the end of March. When I travel I take flower pictures whenever I can and think about how I might design a quilt around them. These are all possibilities.

I know what this flower is, but I can't dig it out of my memory right now.

Wild rose in Idaho.

I had never seen this one before I took the picture in 2005 in Montana.

In Montana I started noticing one car detached garages and photographing them. This is my favorite - I wonder if they painted it after it started to sag. I should think that exterior paint wouldn't last long w/winter weather.

It has possibilities for a quilt design.

Blogger didn't transfer several other pictures I tried to show. I'll try again and see if they will come through.

Woad 02-24-08

Seeing the picture of the kimono jacket in the FFAC Reverse Auction reminded me of a quilt I made in 2005 for "Healing Quilts in Medicine", a project started by my friend Judy House to brighten the chemo waiting area at Walter Reed Medical Center. The 37 quilts depict plants/creatures that are used or have the potential to be used in the fight against cancer. You can read about the project at http://healingquiltsinmedicine.org/index.htm

And see the quilts at http://healingquiltsinmedicine.org/quilt_gallery.htm

Judy died before the project was completed, but her good friends and students in Virginia continued working until the quilts were hung in 2006.

"Woad" Del Thomas 2005 24"W x 30"L

I chose this plant to be the image on my quilt because indigo blue is one of Judy House’s favorite colors. Woad is a dye plant used for thousands of years in Northern Europe. Although the flowers are yellow, when the plant is used as a natural dye the dye color is a blue very much like indigo. Woad can be found along roadsides and in fallow fields through the Western USA, although it is not a native and is listed as a noxious weed in many states. It would be ironic if a plant that is considered an agricultural pest should prove to be a treatment for cancer.
Techniques: Machine piecing, Machine quilting.
Materials: Commercial cotton fabrics, cotton thread and batting.