Learning to strip . . .

This has been so much fun. I did 3 blocks this morning strip piecing and it is addictive. I have a basket full of scraps - mostly strips from left over piano keys I add to baby quilts or left over bindings. The first block is from narrow strips and I decided to use black as the middle strip in each block. I am foundation piecing them on muslin blocks cut to 10".

Here is my first effort . . .









Then - as I was digging through my scrap basket - I found strips I had cut off a wild animal panel I used for a baby wallhanging a couple years ago. I love this look - even thought I have only enough of it to do about 10 blocks using it for the center.











It is getting hot here in my studio - another 100 degree day is predicted here. I give up - we are getting an air conditioner today for the studio. I am heading to my neighbor's. She has a B & B - and just called with the invitation to enjoy great breakfast leftovers for lunch. Sounds great to me.

One last thing - the photo at the top of my blog is from our back deck. Sometimes we have sunsets that are amazing - this was one of those evenings.

Doing some piecing . . .

Yesterday we went to a great community barbeque. It is hosted annually by a local family and is a great place to see friends, friends and more friends. Of course it was about 99 degrees, but they have a few hundered folk so it is catered with tents, live music, roast pig - and great margaritas. It was a wonderful afternoon - and we look forward to it each year. I always try to think of a special thank you note that I can make - usually I do something with stamping. This year I am going to try doing something with fabric - thinking on it today.

I have been working on the Innovations challenge. I am not sure where it is going, but here is a picture of what the start looks like. I have a lot of men's silk ties so I have included some of them as well in the log cabin blocks. The pattern is to give lots of room for quilting - I will have to do lots of thread painting because I think it is going to be pretty busy.

Also - I am starting a strip quilt - never made one, but have ended up with a ton of strips so decided to do something with them. I read about a challenge to make 365 blocks - donate them to be made into quilts for charity. I am going to just do one quilt to donate to a local charity this fall - or maybe next fall - and see how that works out. I bought a new little sewing machine while at MQS - a Janome Platinum 760 and I will move it downstairs so I can sew on the strip blocks mindlessly in the evenings. It is so much cooler down there than up here in my studio. My studio is upstairs over our garage - a separate, but attached building. I don't have air conditioning up here - may have to do that this week if I am going to get any work done. I keep thinking this heat can't continue, but it has been here for a solid month and all of August is ahead. I am convinced I am wrong.

I am also loading our "Tumbling Through Time' back on the machine to do a bit more quilting in some of the blocks before I enter it in a couple more shows. I hope to have that done this evening so I can finish it up tomorrow before it gets too hot to work up here.

Getting started on the third act . . .

This is my start at this blog. I want one place to journal and share with family and friends. I will try to post each day to share projects, ask for opinions, share family fun and share the excitement of university teaching again this coming year. I am also starting on a journey to get healthier with more exercise and better eating.