DESIGNING

Hi and Happy Saturday !!!! 

It's a gorgeous day here in California (with apologies to people in places like Minnesota and New York...:)  )

I am having a fabulous time designing a new linen piece...  want to see inside that process? 

OK, here goes...

I just took over space in the living room - - that was one of the few rooms that had nothing quilting in it - - oh well, heck, who needs a living room, anyway ????  And yes, that a dining chair, but we don't use the dining room table any more, so I may as well use the chair, don't ya think? 

I bought a drafting table not too long ago, and I love it.  I draw patterns on it, I draft out ideas, and I mark on cloth.... and if I put the lamp under it, it becomes a huge light board...

 You can see the piece I am marking up.  It's a gorgeous piece of vintage madeira linen, with beautiful colored embroidery.

I use the blue disappearing pen - but I do have a tip for you - I buy blue pens from a lady named Jill Schumacher at www.quiltmakertothequeen.com

I don't know why Jill's pens are so much better than others - but THEY ARE !! They mark better, and last a lot longer .   So there, go visit her web site and see for yourself. 

 Stop by later and maybe this quilt be all marked up !  Kate

SLOW Progress !

Sometimes, progress is slooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww.

I continue to work very hard on this piece, but it is still not finished.

 

 

 

So - what on earth have I been doing, you might ask???  Well, let's see.

 

I have been working on the stitching on the white center...I put a design in the center, and am scribbling and pebbling around it... about half the center linen is done.

then I put some parallel lines on each corner - I love parallel lines.

I did all the scribbling around the feathers - that looks really dramatic now, makes the feathers pop !

 The outer border has been a lot of work, but it's turning out nicely.  I went over the grid lines with the darker thread to give it definition, and I have some dark, tiny beads, and will put one at each intersection...  pls ignore the blue stuff - that's just marker that I need to wash out... I sprayed it, so its partially gone, but it will take an immersion for it to be all gone !

 

 

 

So - here I am, sewing away !   

 

 

Soon this will be ready to square up and bind - how cool will that be??

 

 

Happy Sunday afternoon,

 

Kate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are We There Yet ???? Pea Soup Anderson's

Driving, driving, driving...................

We drove from San Francisco to San Diego, and then back.............

Mostly it's all on the same road - the famous I-5, or, as it is known in Los Angeles, "THE FIVE"...  through California's Great Central Valley... that feeds all of America...

Productive - yes... Interesting?  Well, not so much.

BUT THEN - - a sign - -

50 miles to PEA SOUP ANDERSON'S  .....  well, wowee, why didn't you tell me?

25 miles..................10 miles....  and then, finally.................

Actually, believe it or not, its a CHAIN - - a PEA SOUP CHAIN !!!!

 And, as the placemat assures you, there's one near you !

 

 

So - what do they sell?

 

Well, according to Wikipedia, they sell 500-600 GALLONS of split pea soup DAILY !!!!

 

YOWEE.........

 

and a whole bunch more 'comfort' foods.

 

And outside there's a big windmill you can see from far away................

 

The soup............................ green, isn't it?

 the obligatory 'kitschy' stuff:

 The "pea" jokes:

 

 

 

 

SO - YOU MIGHT ASK - DID WE EAT PEA SOUP ?

 

WELL, ACTUALLY,

 

WE USED THE RESTROOMS AND HEADED UP THE ROAD...........

 

AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY "PEA PEE"   JOKES !!

 

'TIL NEXT TIME - THEN WE WILL SHOW UP HUNGRY

 

 

Kate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Swear - - the Fabric Yelled at Me !

I swear, this piece of linen just jumped up out of the linens bin and screamed at me...........

and then I went to the bin of possible underlayments, and there was this gorgeous soft raspberry colored fabric that seems to be perfect. 

Well, when the linens scream at me, I just have to switch into "GO" mode...

So, after building a feather "bed " for the linen to lay on, I've pinned it down... next tobaste, then  sew it down.

 Look at this gorgeous detail................... yummm

 I found a nice design to stitch in the center, from a Dover design book..

what a fun thing to work on this good Saturday afternoon !

Kate

Celebrating a FINISH !!!!

 OH, Oh ,  OH

 

It feels sooo good to finish this !!!!

 

 

It's named Sonoma Sunday, because we love to ride up to Sonoma on Sunday, see the wine country, and have lunch.  It reminds me of beautiful sunny days.

 

 

 

This piece was a true labor of love, because the original linen was so completely gorgeous... 


Mystic says "what's all the fuss about"...  he's having a bad hair day , don't you think?

Well, now, let's go see what else I can find to sew on !!!!

Kate