Red and pink crazy pieced top...........

I think it's name should be "Luscious".  Making the crazy pieced blocks depleted all of my red, pink, burgundy and coral batik scraps and I ended up cutting a strip off yardage to finish it.  There are a couple orange pieces in there too.  I thought I had a large enough piece of red batik to back it but I couldn't find any last night.  I do have enough of several regular printed cottons.  The ending size is 56.5" X 80.5".



I'm receiving a number of questions about the Colorwash online Course that will open for enrollment on Saturday. Thanks so much for your interest. 

Subscribers will have 24 hours early access to enroll and purchase kits. I have produced a limited number of kits, and you will also have the opportunity to purchase fabric packs from which you can cut the pieces yourself. (You still have time to get on the mailing list, click here.) 

Of course if you have a large stash, you can use your own fabrics too. I will be teaching how to select fabrics for Colorwash. But the kits and packs will be the ways to purchase small quantities of fabrics that work, versus 1/4 yards or other store minimums.

If you're a fan of my Colorwash wallhangings, you probably realize it takes practice to create the smooth gradation from light to dark as well as the smooth transition from one color to another. This skill of smooth transition crosses over to other patterns such as Trip Around the World... Learning how to create this smooth value and color gradation with my guidance will equip you to apply it in other quilt patterns as well.

What is unique about this first offering of the course, is that in addition to having access to the taped course, I will be hosting a 40 day Pop-Up Facebook group where you can post photos of your progress, get feedback, ask questions, and keep motivated to complete your project alongside other students. This 'virtual Workshop' will go from Oct 1-Nov 9. I don't know if I'll offer this again.

We'll share more about the course in the blog again tomorrow.

Backing found...........

I was cleaning up an area in the basement and putting away some large pieces of fabric when I spied this fabric.  I have a 5 yard piece and a 2 yard piece, obviously bought on sale to have so much of it.  It is part of the Kaffe Collective and is by Brandon Mably.  I need a little under 6 yards for the back of the Kaffe Trip Around the World.  I have enough that I can try to match the print when I have to piece one of the long lengths.  This won't be quilted any time soon but at least I have a plan.


The online Colorwash 360 class is open for enrollment for subscribers only on Saturday September 1 so it is the last chance to click here to sign up for the mailing list.  I will have a limited quantity of kits in both batik and Kaffe Fassett fabrics available for purchase only for subscribers who enroll in the class.  If you have previously signed up you don't need to do it again.

Something easy...........

I just want something easy to work on while I plan a next project so I looked through my list of already started quilts.  This one fits the bill.  Both end borders are made and the spacer border is already cut.  The only decision I need to make is whether to add a border all the way around of the same deep red batik.

Kaffe Trip Around the World sewn.....at last.........

I love the center of the Kaffe Fassett fabric Trip Around the World.  Three early and out of print fabrics are here: Spools in red and pink, Pansy in orange and Artichokes in green.

I think it ended up at 78" x 95.5"  I need to re-measure this morning.  I have it pinned up sideways on a double design wall.

This photo shows the full sequence of the 18 fabrics used.


The online Colorwash 360 class is open for enrollment for subscribers only on Saturday so it is the last chance to sign up for the mailing list.  I will have a limited quantity of kits in both batik and Kaffe Fassett fabrics available for purchase for subscribers only.  

I had a question in the comments yesterday about how to sign up for the mailing list.  I have a link that you can click on in that paragraph (the words "sign up") or you can go to my sidebar for the form to fill out.  I think the confusion might be for people who only read my blog on their smartphones.  Maybe the link is not as noticeable.

4 more.............

I have 4 more strips to prepare and sew onto section 4 for the Kaffe Fassett fabric Trip Around the World.

I pressed section 3 and then sewed sections 1 and 2 together and pressed that seam.  I only got 4 strips sewn together for section 4 and it isn't pressed yet.  Hopefully just one more day and I will have it all sewn together.





The online Colorwash 360 class is open for enrollment for subscribers only on Saturday so it is the last chance to sign up for the mailing list.  I will have a limited quantity of kits in both batik and Kaffe Fassett fabrics available for purchase for subscribers only.

Section 3 and stash enhancement................

I got all of section 3 sewn but I didn't want to turn on the iron so it is not pressed.  The more I get done on this Kaffe fabric Trip Around the World the better I like it.

While travelling through Tennessee we stopped at a quilt shop in Jonesborough, Tennessee Quilts.

My daughter fell in love with the large butterfly fabric and wanted it for the back of a quilt.  I'm not sure what the front of the quilt will be yet.  I also bought 4 of the companion prints that I think will work in a floral colorwash.

Here is another view of a couple of the butterflies.  It is Dreamscapes II by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning fabrics.

Sewing machine turned on..............

I finally made it to the sewing machine yesterday.  I am making the third section of the Kaffe Trip Around the World.  There will be 9 strips in this section and I stopped after sewing on strip #7 last night.

I have to do some unpicking on 10 more strips to prepare to sew the 2 strip sections together into one long strip.  Two will go onto this section and the last section will have only 8 strips.

It was really cool yesterday, barely 70 and light rain.  Unfortunately we only got two tenths of an inch by 7 p.m.  Now the heat wave is coming in for the weekend and into next week.  Hopefully we will get a little more rain.

More kitty photos............

Here are the two grandchildren I was visiting, now in their mid-20s.  How did that happen?  They were 1 and 4 when they moved away from IL.

This is the best of the photos of my granddaughter's Ragdoll kitty.  His tail is huge and didn't make it into the photo.  He has such different coloring than my grandson's kitty.

He likes to go into the bedroom and roll over on his back on the carpeting.  Now I have seen all of my great-grand kitties.  I showed two about a month ago that live near me.


I looked at fabric yesterday and even thought about working on the Kaffe Trip Around the World but I needed to grocery shop and do some laundry so I never got around to it.  Traveling is tiring and I'm not back up to speed yet.

Some remnants from my trip to NC.........

We visited my grandson's apartment and I met his Ragdoll kitty for the first time.  He is so pretty and fluffy!  Some of you may have guessed I have been in NC.  I rode back home with my daughter 12 days ago and I flew home yesterday.  I had limited internet access while we were in the mountains so I didn't answer a lot of comments.  I have some photos of my granddaughter's Ragdoll kitty too but haven't loaded them into my computer yet.

On Monday we got a buy one, get one free coupon for fresh baked cookies at a book store.  That is my sugar cookie in the foreground and we thought it looked like a sunflower on that plate.  My daughter got a cookie with raisins in it.

I think I need a colorful keyboard like my grandson's.  The backlighting is in rainbow colors.

Photo shoot.....

This is a "behind the scenes" photo while we were working on the online Colorwash 360 class.  

The colorwash on the wall at the left is floral fabrics working into bright color areas.   It is made with all commercial print fabrics.

The one in the center is made with the batik 2.5" squares kit that I will be selling with the Colorwash 360 class.  The one laying on the table is the Kaffe fabric colorwash which I showed a few days ago and is also made from a 2.5" squares kit that I will be selling with the Colorwash 360 class.

It's not too late to sign up for the mailing list here.  If you have previously signed up there is no need to sign up again.  

A visitor.......

My grandson stopped by so we had to have a photo together.  It is so much fun catching up on the grandchildrens' lives. 

Zach is a Cinematographer. You may have seen the video he made of my gallery exhibit on my website. 

He now has two companies, NOWSAY - commercial films and Arden Film Co. - Wedding Films based in Charlotte, NC.

If you haven't heard Colorwash 360 is opening for enrollment September 1 to subscribers only.  Limited edition kits will be offered for students to purchase.  Have you subscribed to the Exuberantcolor mailing list?  If not sign up here.  If you have signed up in the past you don't need to sign up again.

Dining out.......

See the lighted sign behind my daughter and son-in-law?  It is so appropriate for their 34th wedding anniversary.  We are at at restaurant called the Library that brings your check in an old library book.  There are books up on high shelves and artwork by the owner on all of the walls.  It is a unique place to dine.

My granddaughter took a photo of the two desserts.  The one at the top is peach cobbler with lots of crunchy topping.  The one on the bottom is a skillet chocolate chip cookie with shavings of white and milk chocolate on it and a scoop of ice cream on both of them.  They are definitely both large enough to share!

Eating out.........

We ate at a really nice restaurant for my daughter's wedding anniversary.  It is the first time I have had a fancy chef decorated plate.  It was delicious and so were the desserts that were eaten before I could photograph them.

Colorburst 2

I have finished the second colorburst quilt now.  It is 34" square.

I put a batik on the back, a multicolor print.
My fingers are sore from 2 days of sewing batik bindings.  Some of them are hard to push a needle through on the crosswise grain of the backing.

This outside photo on an overcast day has truer color than the inside photos.

Exclusively Kaffe....

I made a Colorwash of exclusively Kaffe Fassett fabrics many of which are early and out of print.  It is not the Kaffe Collective which includes fabric by Brandon Mably and Philip Jacobs.  It is exclusively Kaffe.  This wallhanging is made from the kit of 2.5" squares that will be offered to students of Colorwash 360.

I used one of the larger prints on the back and I thought the black Fern print was perfect for the binding.

Are you interested in making a Colorwash wallhanging too? 

If you haven't heard, I have an Online Course launching on October 1, 2018 called 'COLORWASH 360'. You'll learn gradation from light to dark (value) as well as gradation from one color another...And, how to select fabrics that work best. 

'COLORWASH 360' opens for pre-sale on September 1. 

Subscribers will receive 24 hours early access to sign up for the course and purchase the limited edition kits of pre-cut squares or larger blocks to cut multiple squares yourself. 

Both Batik and Kaffe Fassett Fabric kits will be available in limited quantities to students of COLORWASH 360 only.

If you aren't an Exuberant Color subscriber for the mailing list....click here to subscribe.

A colorwash finish for August.......

I finished the binding on this batik colorwash wallhanging yesterday.  It is for my daughter and she wasn't sure which edge she wanted at the top.  This is the first choice.

The back is a striped batik.  I put a hanging sleeve on both the top and bottom.

Now it is flipped 180 degrees with the rod in the other hanging sleeve.

The stripes on the back are in many colors.  This end has more red in it.  Which way do you like, the top photo 1 or the third photo 2?

Are you interested in making a Colorwash wallhanging too? 

If you haven't heard, I have an Online Course launching on October 1, 2018 called 'COLORWASH 360'. You'll learn gradation from light to dark (value) as well as gradation from one color another...And, how to select fabrics that work best. 

'COLORWASH 360' opens for pre-sale on September 1. 

Subscribers will receive 24 hours early access to sign up for the course and purchase the limited edition kits of pre-cut squares or larger blocks to cut multiple squares yourself. 

Both Batik and Kaffe Fassett Fabric kits will be available in limited quantities to students of COLORWASH 360 only.

If you aren't an Exuberant Color subscriber for the mailing list....click here to subscribe.

A friend's quilt.........

I recently went to Paducah KY where the Kaffe Fassett "I am an Artisan" contest quilt exhibit is.  I read Mayleen's blog and she made one of the quilts in the contest.  It is one of my favorites so I had my picture taken by it.  Check out her blog where she talks about it.

I'm working on some bindings right now so I hope to have some quilty photos soon.  

Two sections sewn.........

The second section of eight strips is sewn and this is now half of the quilt top.   Just 15 more strips to sew together, but wait.......I haven't finished unpicking the last bottom half loops so that will be next.

One section sewn...........

I finally got the first 8 rows sewn together on the trip around the world quilt.  We needed to take it down to use the wall for some photography so now it is going back up again.

First finish for August 2018..........

I finished the first colorburst wallhanging and got the binding started on the second one.

I used a fabric on the back that is from the first years that the Hoffman Co. was making batiks.  It is in the front of the quilt too.  This one is on the way to its new owner.

Gifting quilts..........

I gifted two quilts, one to my daughter's childhood friend and one to her daughter.  Tracy has only the back of her quilt showing but you can see all of it here.  I had a stack of 6 quilts they could choose from since I didn't know what colors or styles they like.

A gift from a friend.............

A friend and her daughter came to visit us and brought this wonderful treat.  We almost each ate a piece before we got a photo.  There is a little booklet inside telling what each candy flavor is.  They are yummy!

A little retail therapy............

I am not a cook but I love to bake.  We went to a store full of kitchen items and I had to come home with a few.  I haven't made cut out cookies for a long time but I had to have 3 butterfly cookie cutters.  It is always nice to have a new spatula and especially a decorated one.

Here is the other side of my horoscope sign spatula.

We couldn't resist the little spatulas for the little great-grandsons who love to help their mom in the kitchen.

They were decorated on both sides too.  We saw the little guys last night and they loved their gift.

A visit..........

My daughter and I visited two of my four great-grandkitties while my granddaughter was gone for the day.  They were really enjoying hearing all of the birds.  The male kitty captured a bug and hurried inside with it.  The female ran in to see what he had but I spoiled the fun by disposing of the bug.

Binding and label..............

I finished the binding and label on the Kaffe colorwash quilt last night too late for a photo.  I'm much better at photography when I'm fully awake.  I showed this one earlier in its unfinished state.

We got a dribble of rain yesterday and are still hoping for more.  It is cloudy this morning so maybe it may feel cooler although still pretty humid.

Hot, lazy day...........

We're back in the heat and humidity and it just zaps my energy.  I got one more of the colorburst wallhangings basted.  You can check out when I was working on them by going to my label list and clicking on the label Colorburst or go to the bottom of this post where my labels for this post are listed and click on it there.  

The grass is turning brown because we need rain so badly.  There is a lot of rain north of us along the Wisconsin border but the storms fall apart before they get to us.   I'm hoping the predicted rain tonight really gets here.  The Rose of Sharon bushes don't seem to mind the dry weather.

Just past the center..............

My goal yesterday was to unpick enough loops to see the whole center of the TAW.  That is the point that I finally know whether I chose a good center.  You have to imagine the portion that will be the drop on the sides of the bed to visualize what portion will be on top of the bed.

I prepared another piece for thread basting and worked on it a few times during the day and got it all basted.  This is one of my colorburst pieces, not colorwash.  The colors do not blend together but are quite a contrast instead.  I made 2 of these tops a couple years ago and thought maybe I would make more and put them all into a larger quilt.  I decided to just go ahead and finish the 2 small pieces.

Last day for the pop-up-shop.  It closes at midnight EST today.  It is the last chance to see all of the new detail photos that I took just for this shop.