modern drunkard's path - revisited

It started with this, that made me make this, that lead to a class, that lead to another for which I made this. This version is so wee compared to the first. This one is about 30 x 45 inches, or something in that ballpark. It's half the size of the original. Hey, I know! Let's put a baby on it for scale:

That doesn't really give you a better idea? Heh. Well, really I just wanted to show off the kidlet - because I'm a little smitten with her. And when I say "a little," I really mean "a lot."

Anyhow, since this quilt works well scaled up or scaled down, I'm including templates for both versions in the pattern. Oh yeah, I wrote a pattern for it, which will soon be available through gather here. I'll let you know as soon as it's available. In the meanwhile, summer's a great time to finish up quilts, no?

i go walking... (the color edition)

This summer has been pretty fantastic with so many bright, gorgeous, sunny days that demand you step outside and soak up the light and do fun stuff like go to the playground and run through sprinklers. I'm out and about with the kiddos a lot, and though I don't take my fancy camera with me on these walks and trips to fun places (because I don't want to have to carry one more single thing in my bag) I still like to photograph pretty stuff I come across. And because I am obsessed with color, I have started creating little palettes like the ones here to file away for future reference when putting together new quilts tops and working on other color-y projects.

Going off on a tangent here (as I am wont to do), but can I just say that living in this neighborhood has made me appreciate hydrangeas in a way I never did before. Not that I shared Madonna's feeling about them, but I was just never that excited by them. Now? I look forward to hydrangea season because they are just so freaking beautiful.

EDITED TO ADD: Seanna Lea asked how I make the palettes, so I thought I would share. I use Photoshop. I create a new project at 612 (the width of an Instagram photo) x 900 pixels. On separate layers I make rectangles and fill them with colors I select from the photo itself using the dropper/color selection tool. Pretty easy and a fun little way to play with Photoshop. Hope this is helpful.

teacup toupee? coffee carpet?

First off, I just want to apologize to Chawne for the words I am about to type. I made a mug rug. For those who are unfamiliar with the term and craft blog sensation, swap phenomenon, and star of their own reality show, mug rugs are like teeny placemats large enough for your mug, teacup, or jar of whiskey and a snack. They're larger than a coaster but way smaller than a placemat. They're essentially mini-quilts. With a borderline obscene name. I mean, come on!

Anyway, it was interesting putting together this little teacup toupee for an upcoming class at gather here. With the last few projects I have made with a class in mind, including this one, I have been hyper-aware of the construction, asking myself the whole time if someone who is fairly new to sewing and doing patchwork for the first time can handle it. The answer is "yes." More and more I am making things with "the other sewists" in mind. The herringbone quilt, for example, has such an easy, basic construction that anyone can make it with ease. And this teeny intro to patchwork project is snappy, small, and easy as pie. I'm psyched for the class! And I kinda want to make 20 more of these and give them to friends for the holidays.