Easy Sewing...........

 I was looking for something easy to sew last night.  Easy...as in already cut and laying on my sewing cabinet.  This is the third of the remaining solids with prints quilts that I'm working on. This Shoo Fly block finishes at 7.5" x 9.5".  I have 11 blocks already sewn in a box in the basement and I haven't figured out how many I need yet.  This will be another small throw quilt.  I haven't pressed these blocks yet but I should have to warm up.  It's 65 degrees inside my house (warming up from 61 in the morning) and was about the same outside yesterday after a morning of 44 degrees.  It is going to warm up this week so I didn't want to turn on the heat yet.

I spent over 2 hours pulling out the black raspberry dead canes and any live ones that will be in the way when the painter comes to paint the window trim.  I cut them up in small pieces and put them in a box that will be burned after they dry out.  The thorns are wicked.  I had to cut down many volunteer trees to get to a lot of it.  The branches on the back of a bush had to be cut too.  I have cleared in front of one picture window and a 3 section crank out window over my kitchen sink.  Today I'll clear out in front of the other 3 section crank out windows in the kitchen.  Maybe I'll wash the windows too.

The stars.................

It's time to view the 30 star blocks together on the design wall.  They are part of the solids with prints series inspired by Lynn's quilt. 

I can see I need a lot more medium and dark blocks.  I have all of the solid triangles cut.  I just need to find and cut the prints.

You 'll have to take my word for it that there is a female goldfinch on one of the lowest Coneflowers in the photo.  The Coneflowers are pretty sad looking at this part of their season.  They started drying up early while we were in the drought period.  I will leave them all winter for the birds and clean them up in the spring.

Last day to register............

I always have to review the live sessions from previous classes to refresh my memory about student questions.  This is a shot from one of them.  You can see my daughter down in the bottom left corner because we do these sessions together.  She is my tech person and can answer all of that type questions from the students.

I also go back and check the colorwashes that the students made in a post here.

Gradation is a key component of many patterns I do. I teach hands on experience by making a Colorwash because it's my signature style and the design that so many have asked how to create. But once you understand smooth gradation, it can be applied to unlimited quilt patterns. 

This is the LAST DAY to register for my Colorwash 360 class, the last time I will offer the bonus live sessions with it.  

Oh, I almost forgot, here is the treat I baked yesterday morning for breakfast since it was such a nice cool day.

Making kits.............

 As much as I would love to show you what quilt I am working on, I have to continue working on kits for my Colorwash 360 class.  There is only one time to prepare for class and that is before it begins.....so that is what I am doing.  Yesterday it was separating the Kaffe 6" squares into kits and packaging them and making the little mini collage kits pictured here.  Oh, and driving to the post office after packaging up some orders.  

Only a day and a half left to sign up for the Colorwash 360 online class.  Go here to register for the class.

We will have mighty cool weather for 4 days this week starting today.  62 for a high and 47 at night.  This is sooooo much better that all of that heat and humidity we had this summer.  I have someone lined up to paint my house trim (my house is Crab Orchard stone from TN) so I have to clear a path through bushes and flower beds for the guy to get up to the windows.  I have 2 weeks to get ready so I'm going to enjoy the cool weather to start doing this.

What I forgot to mention yesterday...........

When I showed the pile of fabrics on the chair yesterday I forgot to mention they are all vintage out of print (OOP) Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  I have every Kaffe fabric except #5 which was a block printed linen fabric according to some sources.  His fabrics number up to 170s now.  The fabrics in the photo above (and in yesterday's photo) go up to #124, fabrics you only find for $30-$60 a yard if you can find them at all.  In the photo they are 4 fabrics deep in each pile, 65 fabrics.

Why did I have all of these OOP fabrics out?  They are for kits in my kit shop for students of Colorwash 360, optional purchases to expand their own collections for a Kaffe fabric Colorwash.  (I also offer a more recent set of Kaffe fabrics to expand a little further as well as batik and floral.) 

And for you super Kaffe fans, I have a photo catalog of his fabrics that is searchable by number, name and includes many quilts I've made over the years using just Kaffe Fassett fabrics and Kaffe Collective (+Brandon and Phillip). This could be one reason you might want to sign up for my online class.

The other reason that comes to mind is that this is the LAST TIME I will be doing the 6 live sessions with the Colorwash online class which adds a few extra tips and demonstrations and gives you a chance to ask a question which I answer on the spot. 

You would also be able to show me your progress and get help from me on YOUR PROJECT...making decisions on fabric selection, placement for smooth gradation, sewing...anywhere you feel stuck or need another opinion. No student left behind...

Registration for the online class ends this Friday, the 18th at 10 p.m. EDT.  That's less than 3 days away.

And now a treat for me........
 

And then I have to put it all away...........

 It's lots of fun to pull the fabrics that will go into a colorwash kit but then it has to all be put away again.  I have learned to neatly fold the fabric after cutting so that saves one step when taking it back to its residence.

There is still time to sign up for my Colorwash 360 online class here.  Enrollment ends on Friday night at 10 EDT.  The 40 day live part of the class starts on Sept. 21 and ends on Oct. 31.

I mowed the grass for the first time in 5 weeks.  There were still a few brown dry areas but there was lots of new green grass which had gotten quite tall.  The 4" total of rain that we got over a week's time is still a deficit from the average rainfall.

My new garage door opener is installed and the opener buttons in my van won't work with the new one.  My van is 16 years old, doesn't have its first dent and only has 71000 miles on it.  I won't be getting a new vehicle so I have to have a separate opener in my van at all times now.

Floral fabrics and fall photos............

When I first started making colorwash quilts I used only floral fabrics because that is what Deirdre Amsden from the UK used.  She was the first person I saw doing colorwash in 1987.  She used Liberty Lawn fabrics.

I only made one with Liberty Lawn fabrics.  A friend gave me some of the squares and also hand quilted it for me.

We are in the enrollment period for my Colorwash 360 class until Friday night.  Here is a link to the sales page if you want to learn this technique too.

I know this photo isn't very clear because I was using the super zoom on my camera from the kitchen window.  I think the photo will enlarge if you click on it.  It is a Goldfinch eating Coneflower seeds, a sure sign of fall in my back garden.  I rarely see the Goldfinches any other time.

The Annabelle Hydrangeas are just right for cutting and drying for a year long bouquet.  I cut a second bouquet yesterday and will cut a third one sometime today.  Last year my Hydranges were smashed by the roofers who were working on my house so I'm replacing a 2 year old bouquet.  

My garage door opener is going to be replaced today (I hope) and I think I will mow the  grass for the first time in 5 weeks.  We got about 4" of rain in the 7 days of on and off storms so we have some green grass again.

This spiderweb is outside my kitchen window.  It has raindrops on it from overnight showers a couple days ago.