Do You Ever Have To Just Dive In and Clean Up Your Studio?

 

Am I the only one who sometimes

just can't take it anymore?

And has to take the time to get it all cleaned up...

before taking another stitch?

All the different pieces I have been working with to put Buttercream Summer together sorted out...

  Or maybe the rest of you just don't make a mess like I do in the first place!

The Final Sketch for Buttercream Summer up on Wall

And a little taste of what has been going on in this messy studio the past few weeks...

So please let me know....

Am I the only messy sewer out there???

And what do ya think of Buttercream Summer

in it's final stages before the last and final embroidered border?

Back to work gals...

 

A Morning at the Farmer's Market...

Oh how I LOVE buying fresh produce

right from the local farmers...

The Guitar Man buying Homemade Tomato Basil Bread

and fresh organic eggs...

I was thrilled to find this kind of meat...

Bought Stew Meat, Chicken Breasts, Ground Chuck

and Ham Hocks...

Talked to the farmers....

Received recipes....

Oh my...

this is fun!

Arrived home...

Washed it all up ...

Packaged up all the beans and lentils for the pantry...

If you have never bought fresh dried beans

from a local...

or a Farmer's Market...

you're really missing out on a treat.

The Guitar Man and I found this out a few years ago,

when we stopped in Palisade, CO where we always

stock up on peaches to get in the freezer and to make jam with...

We decided to try some of the Local's Anasazi Dried Beans.

Heavenly....

Oh my...

what a difference ...

from the beans you find on the supermarket's shelf.

Where sometimes they've sat for months and months...

I also bought some Ham Jowl for the first time.

The Farmer swore by it.

Told me to boil it for awhile...

then add the boiled juice and the jowl

to my pot of beans.

I'll let you know.

Now it is out to the porch to work on menus

for the upcoming week.

My Mother's Day present from the Guitar Man...

He started me a Container Garden too...with lots of herbs...Chocolate Mint, Mt Julep Mint, Pineapple Mint, Spearmint (All for my herb iced tea he loves for me to make.) Also planted Lemon Balm, Parsley, Italian Parsley, Tarragon, Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, tons of tomatoes and peppers!

Hard at work..

I have lots to do in the sewing studio and shoppe...

so some pre-planning sure will

make my week go easier!

Just wanted to let you know....

that I do other things...

beside sew and design!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Design Work...In Progress....

 

Really girls....

I have been busy!

I've had my nose to the grindstone in the studio!

I'll show you what I've been up to...

 

Started adding Prairie Points to some of the blocks...

I'll be posting a tutorial on these Prairie Points soon....

 Here's a sample of how I did it...

All on one strip of fabric...

Now how to put these 8 blocks together?

I always have a picture in my mind...

but it doesn't always translate to the actual

quilt project.

So it is a lot of work sewing plenty

of combinations together...

and then playing around

to see what works.

At first I was just going to make some pieced blocks...

but then I thought that Dresden Fans might 

look good...

simply because it would be the same 3D effect

as the Prairie Points...

So away I went to work...

 

A beehive of industry....

 After a few hours....they piled up...

Turned them into different assortments of fan blade units...

Top stitched them on to the backgrounds following my 1/4" foot...

Now to find just the right Fan Blade Cover...

Ooppss!

Let me back up here...

and show you how to make a perfect 

Fan Blade Cover...

Use No Melt Mylar Plastic

to make the template for your Fan Blade Cover.

Next...

move the template down about 1/4"

Spray Starch that 1/4"

then take your iron and

iron the 1/4" down

right over the plastic...

You'll get a perfect rounded edge...

every time!

Now place it over the Fan Blade Unit...

making sure all of the

raw edges at the end of the fan blades

are being covered...

(I made a whole Meet Me In Paris once...

with several raw edges showing here...

and didn't notice it...

until I finished quilting it! UGH!)

Take the time to look now!

Follow the metal edge of your foot 

and stitch about 1/16 to 1/8' from edge...

Now to figure out how to make it all go together...

Note! Prairie Points are not done on this yet...I'm still commissioning fabrics for it.

Now here's the fun part ladies...

After doing all the math...

I'm thinking it is looking too busy.

I need to add in some plain borders

and finish the Prairie Points on the blocks

to get a better feel for it.

So half of the work I've done on my blades

may be for naught!

Gotta love the Design Process!

Back to the Studio....

P.S.  And for all of you who commented over at Stash Manicure on my Meet Me In Paris Quilt Story...thank you ever so much. I'm still hoping to be able to get to the comments so I can respond individually.

Until then...please know I read every one of them and they were such a blessing to me!

Sending my humble thanks...

I was over at Stash Manicure today...amidst the Blogger mess!

Find me over HERE today!

I'm hanging out at Stash Manicure....

and

am

telling 

the story 

behind

the 

~Meet Me In Paris Quilt~

Inspiring Quilts from the Cincinnati Ohio Show

Okay ladies...

are you ready to be inspired?

Here are some of the amazing quilts from

the Cincinnati Ohio Show we attended...

The following one was done with complete yoyo's...

 

And back at the farm...

So I have been hard at work in the studio...doing all the figures on the pieced blocks for Buttercream Summer! I will get pic's posted hopefully this weekend! Hope you all have a special  Mother's Day Weekend.                                                                                                                Cioa~~