The Best Laid Plans...

plan [n1] scheme, design, way of doing things        -Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus in Dictionary Form

"I have no plans and no plans to plan."     -Mario Cuomo

"I've never been able to plan my life.  I just lurch from indecision to indecision."    -Alan Rickman

A week ago last Friday, I had an opportunity.  I was invited to the wine and cheese schmoozefest that accompanies the gallery openings at the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin.  I planned to go.

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."     -Woody Allen

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."   -John Lennon

I have two (count 'em, two!) pieces hanging in Gallery 2 that are part of the show that accompanies the play, "1000 Words."  (Click here for a link to the show.)  The reception was on (dum dum DUUUMMMM) Friday the thirteenth.  I planned to go.  I wish I had gone.

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."  -Eleanor Roosevelt

But I forgot.  By Friday, I was exhausted and became part of the couch immediately following dinner.

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."  George S. Patton

So I went to the gallery on the Sunday following and took these pictures.  They did a really nice job of hanging our fiber art with the photos.  I think that the ladies room sign was an interesting choice.

"It is a bad plan that admits of no modification."      -Publilius Syrus

This was taken at the third floor gallery -- my kind of doorstop.  Although it begs the question: what happened to the other one?

"We can't plan life.  All we can do is be available for it."    -Lauryn Hill

I planned to post this right after I took the photos.  Almost two weeks ago.  Oh well -- better late than never.  

Some Blocks, A New Product, and a Finish

First the finish:

"Sit Down -- I Think I Love You"

30" by 36"

I made this as part of the stuff we're doing over at "...And Then We Set it on Fire."  I "accidentally" made a block that looked kind of like a chair.  Then I remembered the chair fabrics in my stash, and I went from there. And yes, I did steal the title from that old song.  Thank you, Stephen Stills.

I wanted to get this finished, photographed, and posted today, so I started out pinning back the binding.  Then I ran out of pins.  Hmmm... I remembered that I purchased some fusible thread at a quilt show a while back.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but it seemed like a fun thing to have.  My friend Trish mentioned (quite a while ago, if I remember correctly) that one could use it to hold binding in place for hand stitching.  Hmmmm...!   I couldn't get it to go through the needle, so I wound some on a bobbin and did a zigzag around the edge close to the binding stitching.  Hit it with a steam iron and...  voila!   It still needs some stitching, but I can leave it alone for now.  This just might be a fabulous product for art quilt bindings that don't get a lot of wear and tear.  Thanks, Trish!

And last, but not least, my design wall today sports the rest of the unfinished blocks for my "...And Then We Set it on Fire"  experiments.

Those are the BOM 2012 blocks at the top -- I'm not going to be able to go to the meeting, so I'll buzz up to the quilt shop and get the February "assignment" later this week or next.

To see other design walls, click here to go to Judy's blog.  Thanks, Judy!

Design Wall Twofer

Long time readers might remember that I participate in a BOM every year at Mill House Quilts in Waunakee, Wisconsin (motto: it's the only Waunakee in the world).  This year, even though I am working full time and can't really go to the meetings, I'm doing blocks from the book pictured at the left below along with the rest of the group. 

 

I love the blocks in this book, but I don't really do taupe (motto: I do brights).  So I'm taking my cue from the book pictured above on the right.  I love the stark contrasts in the blocks.  But I'm doing mine in color.  So in the photo of my design wall at the top of this post, the three blocks on top are done in spa blues and browns (which I've been collecting for some time -- although I don't really know why) and the bottom blocks are done in color to satisfy my primal need for color.  After I made the top blocks, I couldn't figure out what to pair the colors with to give the blocks some consistency.  But while I was wandering through my stash, I looked at the pile of black and white fabrics (okay -- I'll fess up:  there were two piles) and thought: "Yes!  Black and white will set off the colors and make the blocks go together!"    And the blocks are pretty complex -- so after I figure out one, I may as well do another.

Yesterday, my design wall looked like this.  I'm working my way through Rayna Gillman's book (pictured at left) along with my fellow artists (and Rayna!) on the blog "...And Then We Set It On Fire."  I hope to start cutting up the strip sets and adding color soon.  While I admire those who can work in neutral tones and I think that the Japanese taupe quilts are outstanding in their beauty, I just don't fly that way.  And it's all about having fun, isn't it?

To see other design walls, click here to go to Judy's blog.

A Finish and Some New Stuff

My design wall has some new stuff today.  I had a productive weekend.  There's a new post at "...And Then We Set it on Fire."  And I started a new bag and the blocks for the 2012 BOM.  ---I'll have more about that 2012 BOM later.

And for those who are keeping track -- I finished sewing together the baby quilt.  Now I just have to find the time to quilt it.

To check out more design walls, click here to go to Judy's blog.

Progress on the Design Wall

Yep -- I finally finished sewing the strips together.  Now I just have to stitch them to the blocks, sew those together, then quilt the whole thing.  Phew -- I'm exhausted just writing about it.


To see other design walls, click here to go to Judy's blog.