new design

Have you all heard about the 2012 Fall Market and Festival having a section of the quilt show dedicated to quilts by members of the Modern Quilt Guild? I had seen something in passing and really didn't take it into consideration, but then at our meeting last week Jen, who is now involved with publicity and networking for the national MQG if I got that correctly, filled us in a bit and encouraged members to submit. If you're curious about the opportunity for submissions, you can find information on it here. The deadline for submissions is March 2nd and each individual may submit up to 2 quilts.

So, last weekend I got back into my sketchbook with a couple of new ideas, but know if anything I can only get one quilt started and finished in time for that deadline. The one that keeps intriguing me looks like this:

I played around with the fabrics in that stack and think it's got potential, but might try in different fabrics for a more dynamic/effective look. But here's a sneak peek at the blocks I made this week:

one set of blocks after slicing and rearranging fabrics

block before piecing

stack of all 12 blocks.

I might try to put together the next version in concert with the Tangerine Tango Challenge hosted by Ali and Erin on Flickr.

I've also been looking at some of the other pieces I did over the last year or two to decide if I think there's one I have enough confidence in to try and enter... These are the ones that I'm considering – any thoughts??

My Fiesta Squares quilt... an original design that I also plan to play with in time, but have gotten a pretty positive response to this version.

Nothing earth shattering, nor all that original, but a quilt I love and am very pleased with the end result (plus, it's backed with a shot cotton and the quilting shows through beautifully!)

Originally made for the second Project Modern Challenge.

And there is one more, but it is no longer in my possession (was a wedding gift from about a year and a half ago). J thinks it would be tacky for me to ask to borrow it back for the show, if I were to be accepted. I'd have to agree, sadly, but that doesn't make me think about it less. Stupid time constraints!

I'm sure there will be more musings in the upcoming weeks, but welcome any input, truly!

Desperately Seeking Something

I'm sorry to say that the last couple of weeks have been less than inspiring on this end. But I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and better yet, the light is DAY-GLO!

I've signed up for a new swap on Flickr: I Heart the 80s(sic)! It looks like it will be a feast of nostalgia for those of us who came of age during that crazy decade, and an excuse to revisit the completely over-the-top design sense that helped define it!


This is just a sample of some of the rad references I found on Flickr and incorporated into my inspiration mosaic for the group (the legend and links to the origins of the photos can be found here).

When I was trying to think of what sort of craft items or sewn goods I might like from that era, I kept coming back to the old lap desks, with the beanbag bottoms. Perhaps it has something to do with my relatively new acquisition of a laptop computer, which I do in fact use on my lap as often as on a desk. I found a vendor on Etsy, LapDeskLady who had some that screamed quintessential '80s in my book, like this one here...


And of course, who doesn't still have a mix tape or two (or a dozen) from back then?? Someone in the group located this fabric from Timeless Treasures, too:


But one thing that was consistent on most every form of art/craft/fashion/nick-knack of the time was MONOGRAMS! Whether they be the traditional embroidered monograms on towels, robes, even socks, or a more age-specific style of first names stitched on backpacks, duffel bags (myself, I had a cute pink and green duffel I used for ballet class for years), and then there was the paint pen onslaught... the bubble letters, dot-serif print, cute butterflies and bees, labeling ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! I even have a cassette case with paint pen ID on it!


And I can't remember which came first, the monogramming or the string friendship bracelets, but I recall that I had some entrepreneurial friends back then (somewhere around 4th and 5th grades) with whom I combined my creative force and we offered our services for a nominal fee. That might have lasted for all of a month, who knows, but somehow embedded itself deep in the recesses of my memory.

So, as you can see, I am scouting for ideas and inspiration, and trying to come up with fun projects for my as-yet-undetermined swap partner!

Signing out,
Linda (from circa 1984)