New project for the new year

January 2018 in Gig Harbor, WA

I've decided to embark on a color project for 2018, capturing the colors where I live in the Pacific Northwest each month in photographs and then using those colors for a 12-inch-square abstract block each month.

My intention is to get myself back to creating the colorful abstracts that I used to do. I've gotten sidetracked by wool applique based on patterns (which I love and will still do) and home dec projects, but now I'm ready to get back to making original art focusing on my first love, COLOR!

At the end of the year, I'll join them into one large quilt.

The block above is January.

Here are the photos I've taken this month, along with the fabrics I pulled out to go with them. I tried not to let my love of bright colors take precedence over the main colors of the month -- grey, ivory and black.

Here's the whole shebang:

Then I snipped swatches from each fabric, gathered them up and created an abstract impression of the month. I may do another block for January without the grey quilting lines.

Have a colorful day

Ocean and sky on L.A. trip

Sunset in Redondo Beach, first night.

I flew into L.A. last week for some California color and a short but sweet visit with family. I'll let pictures tell the story.

Abalone Cove on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA.

Pt. Vicente walkway on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Sunset in Redondo Beach, night two.

Palos Verdes Peninsula bluffs, last day.

PV bluffs, where I've been going for 31 years.

Sunset on the flight home over the Puget Sound.

This is why I always get a window seat.

Coming down from the clouds over Seattle airport.

Everyone smiles when the selfie stick comes out.

Have a colorful day

Can't live without color!

"Don't wear beige. It might kill you." 

I saw that quote on Facebook, but I can't find definitive attribution. I feel like a little bit of me dies when I'm not around bright, saturated color, so I don't wear beige and when I saw this book at the quilt store I had to get it. 

"A Passion for Colour"

By Ruth Issett

I curled up last night with the book on the couch wearing my purple robe layered over purple and red pajamas layered over orange and red fingerless hand warmers. I pulled the orange and purple and blue and green and red blanket over me and feasted on Issett's luscious colored papers and fabric.

While the morning's water and cloudy sky were breathtaking, the subdued palette didn't make my heart sing.

Have a colorful day

Sew Day inspiration

We had a major reveal at Sew Day's show and tell today at my house: Carolynn showed us her finished Sue Spargo block of the month quilt, which she worked on for two years!

It's wool hand applique and lavishly embellished with gorgeous hand embroidery. Great job!!!

She sent it off to be quilted, then she added more of her own quilting on the inside of each applique.

Then Linda J. unfurled the hand applique cotton quilt that she's been working on for the past year. The colors and design are absolutely a joy to look at!

 She still has to add the outer borders. Here's the pattern:

Carolynn got right to work on her next project, using a light box to trace the pattern for a quilt to be made of embroidered blocks. 

And Linda P. worked on her wool embroidery project, which is a pattern that most of us in the Woolies group are making.

I know you're wondering about the food. Well, we decided to skip serving breakfast and just have lunch at our meetings. We used to serve both. Since I hosted, I made a healthy vegetable soup accompanied by a spinach and cheese stuffed Christmas tree made with refrigerated pizza dough. I rounded it (and us) out with grapes and mini pumpkin muffins.

After they all left, I got some beautiful sunset photos.

Have a colorful day

First finish of the new year

I could have used any colors in the world with the grey herringbone reindeer, but something drew me to soft, sweet, spring colors ... even though I worked on this project over the Christmas season.

I think I'll call it "Signs of Spring," or something to that effect.

The applique pieces are wool, and the background and border triangles are cotton. 

I embellished mostly with pearl cotton, yellow beads, a few buttons and some lace.

For the borders, I cut 2-inch squares and folded them over the edges.

Outside, someone else is patiently waiting for spring. Look at how he's starting to blend in with the tree trunks behind him. I wish he was ours, but he came with the house we're renting. I've grown quite attached to him.

Have a colorful day

More light

I took the ferry over to Seattle in the rain a few days ago. Our mission was to catch the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum before it closes this month. While I was amazed by Wyeth's realistic detail and sense of place, what really got my heart pumping was the astonishing light in some of the paintings in the permanent exhibits.

Here are three that caused me to keep coming back:

Then I got home just in time to catch the last moments of light before our sun slipped away.

Have a colorful day