8/100 - the process

Sometimes you just enjoy the process - the rhythm you develop while you work, the zone you enter when you're making something, the patterns that occur within the patterns, and how the parts have a life of their own (however brief) before becoming the sum.

7/100 - other people's awesome work

I have long been a fan of Lynn's quilts. I was super-lucky to have her as a swap partner for one of the Doll Quilts Swaps (I think it was the second DQS ever), and the quilt she made for me is still up in our wee hallway. Every time I walk past it, it brings me such joy.

6/100 - random marks

In this case, it's marking by the kiddo on our chalkboard. It makes me think of zig-zagging cartoon lightning bolts and envision a quilt made of those.

5/100 - objects

4/100 - the momentum of current projects

Sometimes, all it takes to get my creativity going is to have several projects going on once. Working on one project can lend a different perspective to another. Or the energy you build up working on one can pass onto another. You start playing with ideas and the many ways of executing them and find yourself with an abundance of potential projects. Simple ideas grow and flourish and morph into something else entirely. One project leads to another which leads to another. Sometimes, you just have to run with that momentum and keep going.

3/100 - adorable fabric prints

...because fussy-cutting is fun! But that's not all! Whenever I come across cute prints, I imagine a ton of different projects to make for the kiddos, like clothes and toys and sheets and hats and SO MUCH CUTE STUFF.

2/100 - playing with patterns

I've been meaning to play with half-rectangle (?) triangles for a while now and had been saving this bundle of solids for just this purpose. I was planning to put together a quilt & tutorial for a class, but now I'm not so sure about the tutorial & class since I had a bit of trouble with the math. After joining the pieces, I ended up with 1/2 inch allowances rather than 1/4 inch and have to trim down before joining again. Each duo of triangles came out to an irregular size - 6 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches. And when sewing the triangles together, I needed to jog them about 1/4 inch in order to get perfect rectangles. I *know* there a better, more efficient way to construct these pieces. Until I find find that way, I'm not fit to teach this for a class. 

I'll finish this top before the end of thew week because I want to see it finished. It's important to go with the momentum I've built up here and finish the project. Meanwhile, it's back to the drawing board for a different design for class....

in which I start a new photo project - color (1/100)

As soon as the new year arrives, everyone starts with their 365 photo projects. From a self-portrait a day to a photo with a different theme each day as dictated by different photo sites/groups, it's interesting to see what people come up with when they decide to take a photo a day. I've tried to do a 365 project a couple of times but always ended up bailing midway through out of sheer laziness. Maybe something with a shorter time-frame might work better for me with my short-attention span. As I've been enjoying my friends' 365 projects on Instagram, I've been toying with the idea of joining, but.... It's already February, and again, I would want to do something that requires a lower level of commitment. So I've decided to do "100 days of inspiration," in which I take a photo a day of something around me that inspires me or influences/informs my work. Yeah, I know, the idea itself is not very "inspired," but I'm hoping that doing this will help keep me focused, motivated, and engaged for the next 100 days or so.

I'm starting today with the most basic form of inspiration around me - color. Can't get enough of it! With that, I start cutting pieces for The Colorist. And, uh, I may also be simultaneously cutting pieces for a different project, but more on that one later.

she comes in color everywhere

I normally don't quilt from a pattern. It's not that I fancy myself above and beyond it, nor is it that I can't grasp it because I "haz a dumb." It's just not my thing. My stuff is either basic Quilting 101 design or playing with simple design elements and color to make something seemingly complex. I like working intuitively. Every now and then, however, a pattern comes along that I find so appealing that I know I *need* to make it. Such is the case with "The Colorist," the fabulous new design by the talented and prolific Lizzy House.

Lizzy blows me away with her amount of creative output. She designs line upon line of adorable prints, and she is constantly coming up with new designs - be they for stationery or for quilts. She's always busting out something new, and I pretty much love ALL of it. She is such an inspiration.

So about the quilt.... I've been meaning to make a colorwheel quilt for a long time now. This pattern takes the colorwheel just one step further with smaller pieces and two rings of color. Plus, I get to play with a rainbow of fabric! Selecting the fabrics for this was so much fun:

You need 30 colors total. I picked out my colors & prints pretty easily. I may swap out one of the reds and put in a green instead because I think I'm a little lacking in greens. We'll see.... Now to start cutting!

Wanna quilt along? Please join Virginia and me over at our Flickr group! To get the pattern, please go to Lizzy's shop here.

three sheets to the wind

When we were picking out a toddler bed for the kiddo, we made the brilliant decision to get one of those cute beds from Ikea. They're stylish, adorable, and just seemed to fit perfectly both in terms of aesthetics and dimensions to his room. The unfortunate thing is that those dimensions are an irregular size, and as such, you cannot easily find sheets for the bed. I should have researched a little more because the only sheets that fit are the ones from Ikea that slide around a lot and are not meant to withstand many washes. Then I came across this awesome tutorial, and my problem was solved in the time it took me to iron, cut, and sew (which was maybe 1/2 hour per sheet). The most difficult part of this project is running the elastic through the casing, and I wouldn't really say that was difficult so much as it was vexing maybe. 

I figured while I made sheets for the kiddo, I may as well make sheets for the wee, so I went at it:

The fabrics are (l to r) Squirrel & Trees from Get Together by David Walker, Tonal Stripe from Echo by Lotta Jansdotter, and Critter Community by Suzy Ultman. (Not pictured are toddler sheets in Teal Stripe by Lotta Jansdotter and Outfoxed in yellow by Lizzy House.)

While it's certainly not as cost effective as buying cheapie sheets from Ikea, making sheets gives you the freedom to pick out prints you're crazy about that work well with your space. And I trust that they are well-made and will last because I made them and know exactly what I put into the construction of each one. I reinforced all my corner seams and double stitched the casings in hopes of making sheets that are durable and can handle being washed over and over again. Because let's face it, they're meant for kids, which means they're going to get washed at least once a week.