Around the World Blog Hop

I am so excited to be part of the Around the World Blog Hop! Suzanne at Quilt By Faith http://faithquilter.blogspot.com/ was the very first blogger that I started following way back in 2008, so I was delighted when she asked me if I would hop along.

Has it really been that long?

Suzanne is the chairperson for the Best of the Valley, which is a regional show in California's San Joaquin Valley for quilts and cloth dolls. When she was handed that gauntlet, I began reading her blog to keep abreast of show deadlines and quilting events close to home. Many shows and quilts later, we are now friends and are both blogging along. Check out the Best of the Valley website when you get a chance. It is a top notch show. http://botvquilts.com/.

*********************************************************************************

As part of the blog hop, I have been asked to answer four questions:

1. What am I working on now?

Perfect timing. A Halloween quilt. This is one in a series of off-center log cabin hexagon quilts I have been making for many years. I got the idea when I saw some off-center square log cabin blocks. So I got out my paper, ruler, and pencil and created the paper piecing foundations that would lead me on a long journey of variations.

This particular quilt will be named "Spider Art". The blocks are finally finished and ready to sew together after literally years of hanging on my design wall. It still needs a border, and I think I need to change out the gray half-hexagon on the left hand side for a brighter color. The red half-hexagon on the right side is drawing too much attention.

 



In the meantime, I am also working on finishing the quilting on other projects. I have also been bitten by the hand dyeing bug. Some examples of those can be found among the Popular Posts list on the left hand column of my blog.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

First of all, I don't really think I have a genre since I make traditional, innovative, and art quilts. With this new category of "Modern Quilts" popping up at some shows, I am finding a label for much of what I have been doing for years.

Most of my quilts tend to be very colorful and busy. I make most of my own patterns unless I am working on something that is strictly traditional. Even then, I will generally only use the traditional piecing as a background or border for an innovative applique composition.

I usually try to add some humor in the mix. We all need to laugh every day. It's good for us.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

That's easy. My mind never stops. Many nights I cannot sleep because designs are constantly running through my head.

I tried to capture and relay that process in "Vivid Imagination", the work I am currently quilting.

 

 

A close-up.

 

 



I was an artist long before I was a quilter, so that has definitely been an influence. I enjoy quilting much more than watercolor because the colors can be made so much more intense. My work in collage can easily be seen in my busy quilts.

All those creative waves in my mind can be both a blessing and a curse. When I find time to transform those ideas into real projects, I am happy and at peace.

4. How does my writing/creating process work?

It takes very little to set me off on a creative journey. A color. A shape. An emotion. Something somebody said. I let that simmer inside for awhile--sometimes even years--until I figure out the details of making such a thing. Sometimes, I need to draw a series of thumbnail sketches in order to sharpen my vision. Other times, I might need to learn or even develop a technique. Then there is the "task" of finding just the right fabrics.

Generally, I am working on multiple projects at the same time. That way, if I run out of supplies, patience, steam, or know-how on one quilt, I can stay busy with something else until I get things figured out.

*********************************************************************************

And with that, I am going to hand the Around the World Blog Hop relay baton to Toni at Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Toni hails from Friendsville, Tennessee and has a delightful blog that shares her knowledge of vintage Singer sewing machines, crocheting, gardening, cooking, and herbal remedies. As Toni puts it, "I'm a throwback from another era, methinks." And a bright one at that. Check out her blog at: http://foothillsofthegreatsmokymountains.blogspot.com/

Toni will be posting her Around the World Blog Hop entry one week from now but always has interesting and informative articles available for your reading pleasure.

Happy hopping!