Settling in and Beginning

This past week was a lovely week of family and friends and nestling into my new sewing space at home. My mom, ever the tireless and cheerful helper, carried up a drop leaf table from downstairs to the living room that we don't really use anymore for a makeshift sewing space for me while we have guests sleeping in the studio. Then we velcroed up a flannel design wall and pulled in some antique chairs to cluster around the table. The beautiful space is two walls of solid windows with my newly covered ironing board facing out to our woods and creek. Finished off with a jar for thread snippets, a CB2 saucer for my tea mug, and a vanilla candle, the space is fresh and welcoming. It will be a joy to work in this space the next two weeks and going back to school will be slightly sad. Nevertheless, I have yet to figure out where I love to take pictures at home, and I've got that down pat at school, so: win a few, lose a few.

This block is Corn and Beans from the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt blown up to 4x its original size. Initially, it had solid navy blue where the light greys are, which was nice but perhaps a tad traditional. I really love the fresh feel of the light grey solid and stripe, and I'm curious to see if my show migrates from navy to grey. We shall see, I guess. For now, it's time to start the next block and tune back in to the fourth season Gossip Girl. Just two episodes to go in this season and eleven weeks until the show!
 

Here's to New Starts

It may not be New Year's Eve yet, but I'm toasting to new starts.

New traditions, like burgers and a beer at Sidetrack on Mondays with my best friend from birth.
New directions, heading off to grad schools and unknown cities.
New joys, such as the awesome filters on Snapchat (they may be small new joys).
New things to be thankful for, such as picking up Dad at the airport and watching my little sister decorate the tree.



And most of all new ideas and new fabric! I have been hung up on coral and navy for some weeks now, maybe months. It began when my sister bought a bundle of fat quarters from Pink Castle at the end of the summer, brimming with cool blueberry navies and warm peachy corals. I just wanted to eat it up and cut it up and sew it up, but alas, it was not mine. Then I got the idea stuck in my head that I wanted to quilt a navy blue and white plus quilt with one plus of my coral hydrangeas, but that is a large task and not one befitting a girl supposed to be beginning her senior show. (I even bought backing for this glorious brainchild quilt. How can you resist silky soft vintage peach at $4/yd??) So, as I was sitting trying to hitch my brain out of the coral-navy rut and get into senior show mode, I realized that I need not move at all. Coral and navy is not something I've explored the heck out of or even quilted at all before. It's not a tired idea, nor is it boring. I can do a navy and coral show. I can do this!

With my trusty sidekick, the Mothership (aka mom), I jetted out to Pink Castle to pick some modern solids and patterned binding fabrics to go with my coral hydrangeas. I was tickled when the women in the store complimented my base print and asked me what collection it was from. Mine :) Maybe someday I'll sell fabric in the local store! The plan for now is to experiment with some 2'x2' blocks in these colors and then over print them with grey or navy or maybe even coral, then stitch 'em up and bind 'em up and (throw 'em out of Babylon, hehe VeggieTale reference) see where that takes me! I am so pumped. That navy and coral plus quilt is still stuck in my head. Wouldn't the DearStella floral fabric down there be such a cute binding for said imaginary quilt? Nevertheless, I have begun sketching out some blocks, and I'm ready to dive in. For the next eleven weeks, it's senior show time!! And in honor, the "Farmer's Wife Block Countdown" is going to be temporarily suspended in favor of a "Weeks Until Senior Show Countdown."

Here we go!

Family Time

Home again home again! Jiggity jig!

I am home with the family. We are contentedly sitting in the living room after a day of Christmas shopping at the mall and considering going out to get our Christmas tree. Dad and Taylor were a very willing quilt rack this afternoon, so I have some lovely full pictures of the Giant Starburst Quilt Top. I can't quite decide how to quilt it, but I am going to add a thick white border. If you have any nifty ideas for quilting other than basic straight-line white quilting, I am all ears.

Starburst Top

I'm embarrassed to say that it's been almost two weeks since my last post. I guess photographing the cut pieces of my starburst quilt just wasn't really inspiring me. Not to mention, the sun goes down around four o'clock. Talk about no time for natural lighting. Anyways, with a miraculous finals week that includes no actual finals, simply a three-page paper, I am walking on air with a little time to quilt. Social events have been keeping me busy, though, from breakfasts to coffee dates to birthday dinners. Last night my girlfriends and I commemorated a 22nd birthday with a trip to Denny's at midnight dressed up as hipsters to make fun of our exes. Feelin' twenty-two-oo ;) Today, the guilt really set in on being away from the blog as the last two items on my semester checklist read "blog" and "paper." I set aside the paper (who likes writing papers anyways) and pounded out the final eight seams of the quilt top. Ta da! Finished quilt top! With fifteen minutes of light left before sundown, I photographed it on the awesome new/old ladder that my mom found for me at an estate sale. Now just one little paper between me and home. Next stop: Ann Arbor!

Six Yards!

Six yards I printed! Six yards! Contrary to expected, school has felt exceptionally relaxing since returning. Quiet days and content evenings spent with friends and books. Last night I made pizza with my girlfriends and then snuggled in on the couch for some peaceful homework camaraderie. Today, after an uplifting breakfast date with my dear friend Steph, I settled in for an entire day of fabric printing. And now I have six yards of straws. Six. On Thursday I will print four more, two each of coral and aqua. And then I will start the next one! I am feeling re-inspired to try delphiniums. This time I think I will free-hand paint the layers onto acetates. After a very computer-intense design, the free and hands on approach of painting will be a welcome change. How are you doing post-Thanksgiving break?

Giant Starburst Colors

I picked the fabric! After eating lunch with my favorite little sister (and my only one), we swung by Pink Castle to check out their solids. She supported me through my indecision when faced with a big intimidating wall of Modas and Michael Millers and Monalunas and stalwartly held heaping piles of bolts. She even stuck it out when I accidentally conked her in the nose with a particularly heavy bolt. What did I say, she's my favorite :) We picked out a set of eight golds and mints and greens, but when I got home I started pulling out a couple at a time and putting them together. Simpler seemed better, so I picked a modern four. Two darks and two lights. The darks will be the flying geese blocks on the sides and the lights will be the arrows in the corners of the giant starburst. Then the background will be Michael Miller off-white.

The next day I hung out with my mom in the studio cutting out squares while she planned out the exact construction of the plus quilt she's making me. I'm so excited for the quilt it's insane. It will be made from the most luxurious citron cotton that I picked up for £18/meter at Bacci Tessuti in Florence this past summer with a single plus of my citron hortensia fabric that I also printed in Florence this summer. I cannot wait for it to be done. We finished the afternoon laying out the most adorable twin-size quilt of green, red, aqua, and grey plusses on a grey background. It was spontaneous and fun, made out of leftover pre-cut squares from a quilt my grandma made. I am very jealous of the family that will receive it at the Safe House down the road. I guess this just means I may have to make one for myself, so I should probably get to work piecing this giant starburst first!

Stripes and Straws

Following the garden graduation party theme of bunting and hydrangeas, the newest fabric design in the set is straws. Inspired by my sister's pinterest-perfect grad party, I created a "stripe" for the set based on the adorable stripey straws she used. They play well in all sorts of color combinations, and I am very enthusiastic about printing yardage of several of these. Tone-on-tone fabrics are some of my favorite to use, and I think I will definitely make good use of these!

Up to My Neck

Mid-November hits and the books and leaves pile up to my neck. Every year it catches me a tad off guard. I grow antsy for Thanksgiving Break. My sewing takes a backseat to reading books and writing papers. Coffeeshops become my homes away from home. On the phone today with my mom, she pointed out that my November posts from last year sound very similar to this. In fact this one could have been written this past weekend, and I think I'd like to steal that prayer and repurpose it for this week.

"Lord, open and soften my heart today. You have been so generous toward me. May I give out of all I have and even out of what I think I don't have. Take my time. Take my money. Take my power. Take my powerlessness. Take my weariness. Take my fears. Take my tongue. Take my questions. All that I have and all that I don't have are in your hands. Amen."

Nevertheless, I did sneak in a teensy bit of sewing on Sunday afternoon and tried out machine binding for the first time. Success!

{Check out the beginnings of this project here and here}

Leaves, Tea, and Wool Socks

Y'know when sometimes you finish your morning plans and then you hit your afternoon plans and by the time you get to your evening plans, you just want to crawl into your PJs and not have to smile and socialize anymore? That was yesterday. After a beautiful morning full of laughter and washing windows with my friend Amanda during our community workday and then a gorgeous afternoon of raking leaves for a gentleman preparing to sell his mother's house, I was exhausted. If you know me, passing up playing board games with my friends does not happen very often, but last night, it happened. I peeled off my layers and snuggled into sweats to spend a quiet evening with myself. After writing out my mom's favorite passion cake recipe for my friends who requested it last week, I pulled out the starburst mini to finish up the quilting. Three episodes of TV, a bowl of cereal, and the end of a Michigan football game later, I crawled into bed with a nicely trimmed mini quilt staring back at me from my desk. Mm the cozy feeling of quiet success.

Today, with my quilting mostly done for the weekend, I am working on grad school applications. As recompense for spending my Sunday on school work, I am enjoying a warm cup of chai tea next to a crackling fire. The sun is shining outside, and I put on my favorite wool socks with leggings and a soft sweater. Caribou Coffee is humming with the relaxed traditions of post-church coffee. And I am content. Right now, this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

{Check out the beginnings and the finished product}

Mini Starburst

Fall colors are here! Bright citrons, burning reds, and crisp golds. The streets are overflowing with lively, crunchy color, and it is a joy to sit at my desk and enjoy the view of our neighbors. Their lot is a jungle, packed with trees, shrubs, and burgeoning plants, making for a gorgeous conflagration of color. In light of the inspiring bursts of colors outside and an impending quilt-a-long, I made up a mini Starburst Quilt with some of my freshly printed bunting fabric. Yep! Two of those coral corners came straight from my printing table to the rotary cutter. So fun and rewarding. This week's task (outside of getting screens shot for the new fabric design and beginning test prints) is to quilt and bind it before the real-size quilt-a-long begins November 18th. I am so excited; I can hardly wait!

{See the progress and the finished product}

Farmer's Wife Quilting Again

In spare moments between fabric designing and screen-printing, I managed to crank out two Farmer's Wife Quilt blocks. It's such a rewarding little piece of accomplishment midweek. Now there are just 83 to go! As I consider the future and graduate school, I'm starting to lament the idea of a PhD in chemistry. I just want to be a wife and quilt and have my own fabric printing business that supports itself. Maybe I need to find a farmer... In light of my current situation, I present you with reasons three, four, five, and six that E.S. from Milwaukee County, WI gave for why her daughter should marry a farmer.

"Three. Many rural families enjoy electric light, plumbing, automobiles, and all families may enjoy unobstructed sunlight, blossoming trees, stimulating breezes--perhaps also the daily newspaper.

Four. On the farm, my daughter and her family can have fresh air, fresh milk, eggs and butter without looking into the pocketbook.

Five. Daily exertion means bodily strength and varied responsibilities favor moral caliber.

Six. On the farm, you are quite independent of fads and fashions. Cotton stockings, sun-bonnets, bloomers and overalls are all right, and you feel happier."

Did you hear that? Fresh milk and eggs. Stimulating breezes. Blossoming trees. And you feel happier. Sounds like the life for me.

This Week's Blocks:

Honeycomb

&

Honey's Choice

Honeycomb

Honey's Choice

In retrospect, I may just want to be a wife because it means that my quilting business only has to break even and not provide enough profit to support me. Maybe I should work on my business plan instead. Curious where the reasons to be a farmer's wife came from? Check out the beginning of the farmer's wife quilt and the story behind it here.

Coral Hydrangeas

This weekend has been a lovely one. A chemistry dinner party kicked off Friday night. Then Saturday brought a fun dance rehearsal and a lazy afternoon napping under my quilt and watching Teen Wolf while designing the next fabric. It's my new guilty pleasure, a cross between Twilight and Gossip Girl, and I can't stop watching. In fact, it may or may not be playing in the background right now... Nevertheless, Scott and Alison's star-crossed werewolf-vs.-werewolf-hunter-family romance hasn't completely commandeered my productivity. I was able to print a new fabric this week during my two day break! I'm excited about the new coral and greyed mint hydrangeas, and I am literally fidgeting in my seat with anticipation of cutting it up for a quilt. I'm supposed to save it for my senior show, but it may not last that long, considering Megan's Giant Starburst Quilt-a-Long next month over at CanoeRidgeCreations. I have been itching to quilt all week, so enough writing, I'm off to cut up fabric!

Peaceful Rhythms and Golden Leaves

Nestled on my favorite couch under my afghan and quilt, autumn sun is streaming through the front window, illuminating golden leaves. The house is quiet with only two of us here, and the day has been both productive and peaceful. I biked to the library this morning to pick up the book Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford. Then I let myself into the sunny art building and spread out fabric to finally print the coral hydrangeas. Singing along to Sara Bareilles and Bruno Mars, I enjoyed the soothing rhythms of mixing inks, pulling screens, and setting them to dry. Work at the post office came this afternoon, but with campus so quiet, I was blessed with a moment to sit and look through hat patterns before silently closing up for the day. Now I'm here under my quilt, and I think it's the perfect opportunity for a nap. If only every fall weekend could be like this.

Rain and Busyness

It's been an incredibly busy week, not to mention a rainy one. This doesn't mean there haven't been lovely moments. Snuggling under my afghan to read for class. Climbing into my mom's old Michigan sweatshirt before my raincoat. Pulling out cozy wool socks for dance-tired toes. It does mean, however, that there hasn't been enough of certain things. Sunlight to photograph quilt blocks. Time to sit down and sew. Midterms week has decided to envelope my schedule this time around, and I really have no choice but to follow its lead and drink carafes of caffeinated tea until it has passed. That said, it makes the long weekend look all the more appealing. I'm looking forward to unscheduled time: dancing in dim studios, pulling fresh banana bread from the oven, baking casserole, knitting hats, cutting freshly printed fabric for a quilt. Mmmm. Can't wait. What are you anticipating this weekend?

{This is a test print from before the

Chemistry GRE swallowed my daily planner}

Modern Mint and Red

Here it is! My first yardage of the year. With the help of our studio associate, I wrestled my makeshift printing table into position and went to town. Two yards later and another win for the Michigan Wolverines and it is accomplished. A bunting fabric design in modern mint and red. It is slightly more minimalist than I was aiming for for the whole fabric line, so it may become a one-off that I enjoy separately from the rest. I do love it, though. For its "freshness," as my housemate Brie described it, and for its whimsical geometric imperfection. I may have gotten a bit over-excited with how many photos I took, but who could resist an outdoor photo shoot on one of the first beautiful days of autumn?

{Vote on what colorway I should print my bunting in next over here} 

Colorways Galore

Another day of test prints. I faired better this time. Less grumping, more singing. I'm thinking if Saturdays turn into test print days, I may need to set up some incentives to keep me going. Football on the overhead projector. Chai tea lattes. Fun evening plans. Even the mere prospect of those three things makes Saturdays sound more like adventure days and less like torturous confinement.

Before you start asking if all I do is test print, pause. I did print two yards of fabric on Tuesday with which I'm quite pleased. I'll post pictures this week. For today, I'm enlisting your help. Here are the eight, yes eight, colorways that I printed yesterday, and I'm deciding which to print this coming week. I have some leanings. The problem is that if I stand up to pour more hot water in my tea, then when I sit back down my favorites have all switched. So, my dear unbiased, diverse, and lovely readers: which is your favorite? {for a larger picture, just click}

Which colorway is your favorite?

A- aqua, grey, and red

B- aqua and greys

C- greys

D- aqua, citron, and red

E- aqua and citrons

F- turquoise and citrons

G- coral and citrons

H- citrons

www.poll-maker.com

My apologies: it's been brought to my attention that the poll is not functioning for everyone. If this is the case for you, please leave a comment about which colorway is your favorite. I still value your input even if my html does not.

Update: I think the poll only works in Chrome and Firefox but not in Safari, so if you're receiving an error, switching your browser might alleviate the issue.

The Test Print Day Sulks

It happens every time. And every time it feels real and legitimate.

I print my designs.

And I don't like them.

And I sulk.

My sister has repeatedly experienced this, from bowls to hydrangeas to bunting. She's always so encouraging and gets the satisfaction of saying "I told you so" when I fall back in love with my pattern three days later.

The thing is I'm still new to fabric designing, even though I had some incredible success with my first designs, and I just hate feeling like I've gone backwards. And test prints always feel like backwards.

I know that, for the most part, I dislike them because they're test prints, which means I'm testing colors and they're probably not right yet. But do I give myself a day of grace? Of course not.

I was politely reminded that it took five colorways of bowls before I hit one that I was pleased with. Five. And that wasn't even varying the background color. So far, I've only done two. I just need to take a breath.

It will all be fine. It is every time.

Bunting and Happy Things

Sometimes the best ideas come when your brain takes a break. So, after three weeks of sketching and thinking and trying to come up with my new fabric design, I stumbled across it during my Art History class on Wednesday morning. Bunting! I was doodling instead of taking notes (typical), and I suddenly had a page full of swaying triangles and strung loops. That's when I ripped out a sheet from my notebook, tore it into four pieces, and started working on the repeat. It accidentally somehow ended up a block repeat (probably because the lights were off for the lecture...), so I pulled out another piece during Inorganic Chem and redid it as a half-drop. Now, eight episodes of Elementary later, I am happily making progress on my bunting acetates.

On the topic of other happy things. One, the weather is gorgeous outside. Crisp and bright and lovely. Two, a kind man bought me my chai tea at Starbucks today, and before you nod knowingly with that look in your eye, he was middle aged and with his wife and felt bad for cutting me in line, which he didn't actually do. Yeah, exactly, wipe that smirk off your face. It was nice anyways, though, and there were no awkward expectations as follow with younger wifeless men. And three, my cabinet of tea is heartily stocked thanks to my father who brought me new black teas from his travels through London and Melbourne. Thanks, Daddy. All in all- fall, chai, and tea. Perfectly autumn to me.

Football, Fabric, and Fall

I set aside Saturday for a football, fabric printing, fall afternoon and settled in for two of my favorite things and one of my favorite seasons. Unfortunately, things started to go downhill. Michigan, who should have creamed Akron, actually started losing. Not just keeping a close game, but losing. To a team who hasn't won a single away game in their last 27. Bad news. Luckily, in a nail biting finish, Michigan held Akron at the one yard line with 12 seconds to go, and won by four points. The bummer is, although the football game started poorly and ended well turned, the fabric printing did the opposite.

I ordered Permaset inks, and I really can't complain about the them. They probably work like they should, they're just a little more opaque than I'm used to, so my beautiful overlapping hydrangeas become pretty flat and one-dimensional. Not to mention, I managed to mix a hideous barney turquoise instead of the lovely aqua I was aiming for. Oh well. If a summer of chemistry research has taught me anything, it's that bad results point the way just as much as good ones. Here's to hoping that next week, however, shows some encouraging results.

Happy Triangles

On my last day of summer, following advice from my mom, I dove into a pile of adorable fabrics and simply cut and quilted what I felt like. It turned out to be a mini minimalist triangle quilt. I spent Friday morning sewing the way I wish I always sewed: contentedly and with reckless abandon. I set down the weight of senior show and fall exhibition and pillow covers and quilted to my hearts content. What a lovely finish to the summer.