I recently found out that one of my quilting friends has been in the hospital for Covid, but is home now. Since the group only meets on ZOOM and there are usually 80 - 90 in attendance it is hard to know who is there and who isn't. She is such a nice person and is always sending me cards and notes. So, I made this mug mat for her and put it in the mail this morning. I don't think she reads my blog, so it will still be a surprise for her. She is fond of butterflies.
The background is not my work. Another quilting friend doesn't save scraps or rejected creations. In a workshop she wasn't happy with what she had done and cut it down, throwing the already quilted pieces in the trash. Being a confirmed "dumpster diver", I picked out the larger pieces and have been using them for fabric postcards and mug mats and... whatever.
This is the back side, not colors I would ever put in a quilt - orange and pink? Never, never, never - nope! But somehow this works for me.
Here is a close up of the butterfly on the front. I had fused a FQ of butterfly fabric previously for some cards and just cut out a few for this effort. After I cut them out (with the fusing on the back) I outlined them with black fabric marker, fused them down and appliqued them with a straight machine stitch on the very edge using black thread on the top and monofilament on the bobbin. So the stitching can barely be seen on the other side. As usual with my combination of camera and laptop the color is washed out quite a bit.
But I am so pleased with myself that I actually sewed something. I have stacks of half square triangles and have used up all the precut triangles. Now I am squaring them up which is such a tedious project requiring four cuts for each 3" square. Still can't think of what to do with them when they are finished. But, again, I am actually sewing every day for an hour. Well, now I am just cutting, but I consider that part of the sewing process.
The Empty Spools sessions for this year are canceled. The State of California runs Asilomar, it is a state park, and it will not be open until (maybe) July. The Empty Spools 2022 brochure is supposed to be out toward the end of April. This year would have been my 30 year to take classes there. It is such a lovely place to spend a week while sewing with like minded quilters from all over the world.
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2 comments:
Oh dear, no Asilomar again this year!!! I do hope the ladies can keep up the effort to wait for next year! Each of my weeks there have been just lovely and I think about my next trip whenever I get antsy to travel and vacation. I will just put my thoughts on the fabric shelf and plan for another year. I am pleased to know your friend is doing well and your quilt-card will help her mental health. Please, stay well.
Your pink and orange was such a nice memory for me. One of my last year's in high school, more than 50 years ago, I made a dress/coat combo in a linen type material for a 4-H fashion show. The dress was light pink, and the cost was a darker pink, with an orange lining. My how I loved that outfit! As I recall, my mother was not thrilled, but I kept it for many years, even though it didn't any longer. Maybe I should do a Mary Lou Story quilt about it...
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