Finish-a-Long Q2

Well, there are another three months on the calendar, and here's my plan to fill them with some quilty finishes for the Q2 Finish-a-Long. I'm choosing a variety of things, some have very little left to do on them, some a whole lot more. Hopefully some of them (ie more than just one) will be finishes.Who knows, maybe seven is my lucky number...

1. Triangle Study - Finish piecing, quilt, bind, sleeve, label.

2. May You Ever Return - Finish piecing, quilt, bind, sleeve, label.

 3. False Flag Sorbet - Sleeve and label.

4.  Slurpee Stitched - Binding or facing, sleeve, label.

5. Celestial Round Robin - Quilt, Bind, label.

6. Technology's Spine - Finish quilting, bind, sleeve, label.

7. Body Double - Finish quilting, bind, sleeve, label.

New Sketching Tool

 I was practicing using a new drawing tool on my iPad on a recent trip to San Diego.

These are a couple pictures of the hotel rooftop that I was kind of sketching with an apple pencil in the app, Sketches Pro. The app was very cheap for this many functions, $5.99, but is only for iOs.

This is a combination of many layers, I sketched the lights on one layer, the blue umbrella on another and then the background. It's very rough, and I'm very new at all the options and tools in this app, but it is a fun learning curve to be starting on. The apple pencil is a great tool, it didn't take too long to get used to how hard to handle it so that it does what I want it to.

Shadows

I'm thinking of starting a new series of quilts based on the pictures of shadows I've been taking lately.

What I'm envisioning is using monochrome colors. So like this one could be shades of green.

And this one, I'd edit into a black and white picture to get the color out of it.

 Something like this.

This one could be done in shades of brown.

Filing this post under Quilt Series Ideas

Wandering Wednesday - Grand Canyon

 Every single time I've been lucky enough to see the Grand Canyon, it hits me that the scale of it is so enormous, it's too much for my human eye to adequately process in real time.

 Even taking in small bits like this, it's still so hard to see the depth that's really there.

 So you have to give up and just enjoy it.

 Gasp-worthy beauty at every turn of the rim trail.

 Really, if you ever have the chance, it is worth the drive, it's a little out of the way, but you will not regret seeing this with your own eyes.

 The scale of it is so hard to get until you see it in person, so here's some people in the shot.

 This one shows the depth and layers pretty well.

I kept getting surprised by the snow.

Finish-a-Long Q1

Well out of 8 proposed finishes for the first quarter of this year's Finish-a-Long, I got 1 completely done.

 This is it, all done! Made for entering in the Cherrywood Challenge (didn't get in 😞) but it was fun to try it, and to sew with their really lovely fabrics. I entitled this: Listening To The Details.

As you can see, I had fun using a lot of colors of blues in the stitching.

I didn't have too much more quilting to do on this one, but I did need to do a little bit. Then there was the sewing down of the facing, adding a sleeve and a label. Done done and done. I will admit that it isn't hanging up yet though, but I'm still calling it a finish.

I worked on several others on the list and started and finished other projects (like one does, hah!)
I'm tempted to say so much for FOCUS as my word of the year, but I'm not giving up, it's been a challenging few months motivation wise. And thus I'll be posting a list for Q2 soon.

Last Time at Judy's

 One last run through Judy's Sewing in Santa Cruz, cleaned out most of their remaining American Made solids. I got to talk to Judy and she let me know that she'd found a buyer for the shop, and they're reopening this month.

I don't know why I love taking these pictures of the threads I cut from the edges of newly washed fabrics, something about the tangle of color and texture probably.

Wandering Wednesday - Sedona

I know, it's Thursday. Guess I didn't push the publish button yesterday as planned.

Anyways...here's some pictures of our short vacation in Sedona. We've been here many times, my parents have a time-share we were lucky to get to enjoy with them.

 I know I've probably taken these exact pictures several times. But the beauty of this place is irresistible.

 The red rocks look different at all times of the day.

 The spines on this, oh they brought back memories of my husband's bike crash there a few years ago, right into one of these. We were pulling the spines out of him for a week.

We don't know if we'll get back to Sedona again, but we're glad we got to go so many times over the years.

Freeway Stitching

Here's an example of what I call Freeway Stitching. It's hand-stitching I do while we're in freeway traffic, it turns out it's better for the driver if I'm not watching (and overreacting!). This is on a small quilt that has been partway quilted, I thought it needed something extra.

Finished Jacket

 I finished the sweatshirt jacket I began at the CQFA retreat. My aunt requested ocean colors, so I did my best.

 Here's a close-up of the fabrics and the stitching and the messy raw edges.

Here's the back of the jacket. I hope it fits her and she likes the fabric choices.

Wandering Wednesday - Judy's Sewing

I was making my usual round of errands through Santa Cruz, and saw a Going Out Of Business sign on Judy's Sewing in Santa Cruz. This is really sad, they've been in business a long time, I used to go to their store in Scott's Valley. Judy's has been a long-time go-to LQS for me, I will miss having it as one of the local options.

I think it's just very hard to keep up specialty brick and mortar stores these days. They had a big sale going on, so I scooped up some end of bolts and other fabrics, as well as two spools of Bottom Line thread.  I really hope someone buys the business and it doesn't close down.

Holly Hedge

This applies to a lot of life, not just writing, of course. But sometimes, to me, my writing time feels very selfish, since it's only for me. The results of my quilting time is at least shared with other people, by either handing them a completed quilt, providing art for the walls, or something to look at online. My writing is just mine though. So it feels selfish when I spend a lot *or any* time on it.

But I don't sleep well if I don't write every day. Some internal processing mechanism of mine has come to depend upon getting some of the words out of my head so that's it's quiet enough for me to get to sleep.

 As inhospitable as a holly hedge, that's what it feels like sometimes, taking that time out to write.
All prickly keep-out's, should's and you-oughta-be's. Being inhospitable to one's self though is very short-sighted isn't it? You're the one you spend the most time with, and your ongoing, life-long conversation with yourself is pretty important. So really, c'mon,  it isn't selfish to take the time to write, if that's what's required to keep that conversation going. And to get to sleep.

Wandering Wednesday-Local Yokel

 Some local yokel type of pictures from the last week or so. First up, some Scotts Valley movie marquee humor. Say the words out loud to the cadence of Queen's song Bohemian Rhapsody and you'll get it.

 A old rock wall in downtown Boulder Creek.

 Cartoon pink clouds as seen from Costco in Santa Cruz.

 So. Much. Rain. At. Once. It's been a very wet week, almost up to 10" total!

And all of a sudden it turned slushy and hail-y and almost snowy. A few hundred feet higher, and we would have had real sticking-around-snow.