72 blocks :: Three

I think I would have been happier with this one without the addition of the leaf, but hey - I still have 69 blocks to go - I will just try this block again. I am enjoying getting each wisp and glimmer of an idea out of my head and into stitch. I can fill a book full of sketches but it's hard to know what things will really look like in stitch unless you just make it.

72 blocks :: One & Two

These both have the same base fabric - a beige cotton flat sheet. I spent a few summer days (maybe six years ago!?) sun printing large positive and negative circles onto it to make a whole cloth quilt that never happened. I worked on it in the sunny front yard of our house. In the back yard of that same house was a big beautiful cottonwood tree whose leaves would cast the most beautiful flickering shade. My oldest says he still remembers that other house.

I recently dipped a lot of this painted beige fabric into a pot of walnuts and I like the way it softened the blue and green paint.

I stitched the single line leaf first and thought the next one would be better with an additional dark line but I much prefer the first one. Simple.

These blocks are part of "72 blocks" and began here.

72 blocks :: reorganizing ideas

I have a new plan for stitching that is really a reorganization of old and recent ideas. I think I thrive on a few limitations - like size and basic design elements. So from here on out I am working on 12" square blocks - whole cloth or pieced, then backed with flannel. One diagonal half of each block will be shaded with diagonal stitching by hand or machine.

I need 72 blocks to make two bed quilts for my boys and it has become very clear to me recently that if I accomplish anything in my making it would be these two quilts that are most important to me - for them. If I think it will take a year it will likely take 2 or maybe even 3. For many reasons this just seems like a great way to progress - resulting in many different blocks that are all still related and fit together in a variety of ways.

Fabric and thread color and other stitching will be whatever is happening at the moment - a reflection of lots of things for the boys to hang onto. Similar to what has happened with the mostly white panel for me, and in the block by block experience influenced method of the color journal blocks (more updates on this soon!?).

I feel like I was on a little vacation from the stitching and now I am really excited to get back to it. My path seems very clear now, which I guess I needed.