Kira's Pictures

I purchased some software to turn the Kira's Castle illustrations into a slideshow for Anna.

I'm not feeling up to writing a big introduction right now, but I think you'd rather just get to the good stuff anyway, wouldn't you? :)

Mango and snowball

I am waiting for the weekend to pick up some variegated quilting thread, probably in "Mango," to start quilting the flowerboxes quilt. (The quilt store isn't open very late most weeknights.)

In the meantime, I'm doing some background prep work. One of the things I am going to be working on for the holidays is a photo quilt that DH's parents have commissioned for one of the sets of grandparents. I have the photos, but I haven't gotten the size specs yet, so instead I am trying out some blocks I am considering using.

The one I am doing now is an octagon (known as a snowball block) that works very well in alternation with other blocks, as it creates interesting secondary patterns. It's a great block to have in one's repertoire.

If you queue up all your snowballs, paper piecing turns out to be the ideal method to use when you have a determined lap cat, as you can sew for a while without having to dethrone the little empress: patterns as articles of diplomacy.

Nope, I got it after all

I was second-guessing myself far too much. Thanks to Anna's confirming eyes, we have a border decision. With fabric, after all, from the stash:



(Sorry about the unironed state - my iron is kind of on the fritz. Those really are squares!)

Flowerboxes redux

When I moved the quilting machine into my studio, I had to move a lot of other items out to make room. Almost all of the works in progress migrated to the guest bedroom closet.

Last night, after running up against a roadblock in another quilt, I girded up my loins and opened up the closet of unfinished projects.

I pulled out the Flowerboxes quilt, and started to re-audition it with potential border fabrics. Unfortunately it is not really seeming content with any of the things I am pulling out from my stash.

This is one of the ways the stash grows: when you don't find something that works, you go to the store and buy a few possibilities, plus some pieces of other things you fall in love with, plus a bit of whatever's on sale, etc., etc., etc., Soon it becomes the stash that ate New York. And still, against all odds and logic, you can never really find exactly the fabric that you need when it comes time to choose a border...?!!

Kira's story

In June, my mother mentioned that she was making a castle wall hanging for my little niece. She often will write stories to go along with the gifts she gives the kids, and started bouncing some ideas off of me.

I responded back, and suddenly found that I was in charge of writing the story!

While sharing a draft of Kira's Castle with a friend, it occurred to me that, hey, she knows how to draw. So I asked if maybe I could hire her to illustrate the story.

After drafts and exchanges of images and words, and editing to fit the pics (and vice-versa), about a month after we got started, the whole thing is written, illustrated, printed, and bound. It is now wending its way through the mail on the way to my niece. I have also been thinking vaguely about "publishing" it via lulu or something for a lark. :)

Meanwhile, my mother's closing in on finishing the wall hanging. This is how the pre-quilted top looks:



I hope Kira likes her birthday gifts! :)