First, Happy Mother’s Day!  Do something special for yourself today.

A couple weeks have passed since I posted a UFO update.  I have worked on it, more some days than others.  I finished four of the flying geese units and started working on the next four.  All those triangles make for slow piecing.  I’ll definitely avoid flying geese blocks in future designs.

I did better with stashbusting this week.  I cut foundation squares out of yardage I set aside for quilt group workday.  I’m a few squares short of having enough for a full size quilt, so I’m hoping other members bring some too.  That’s 2 3/8 more yards out of the stash.  I finally feel like I’m making progress.

Fabric in this week:  0 yards

Fabric in YTD:  9.25 yards

Fabric out this week:  2 3/8 yards

Fabric out YTD:  19 3/4 yards

I finished two more books this week.  The first was Winterkill by C. J. Box.  This is the third book in the series about game warden Joe Pickett.  Like most series, the books make more sense if you read them in order.  I like these books because our hero is just an average guy, with a bit more integrity and determination than most, trying to do his job and provide for his family.  The descriptions of the terrain and wildlife in the Bighorn Mountains are another plus.  My library carries these books in the mystery section.

Sharon B. posted the theme for this month’s Take It Further Challenge, “what do you call yourself and why?”  The question relates to how you view yourself as a crafter, artist, hobbyist, etc.

My first reaction - I don’t call myself anything.  No, that isn’t right.  I call myself creative.  I didn’t choose a more specific label because labels are limiting.  I don’t want any limits imposed, mentally or physically, on what I do to express myself.  Creative covers it all.

Many people that started this challenge have dropped out.  After lagging behind in March and April, I seriously considered it.  Then I realized this challenge took me beyond what I normally do, to places I really wanted to go.  Why this particular challenge has inspired me to try so many new techniques and ideas is a mystery.  Whatever the reason, it works.  I’m staying in.

I’m still struggling with the March block, but I WILL finish it.  For the May block, I plan to use a variation of April’s technique.  You can see a picture of the finished April block here.  I’m starting with this piece of fabric and letting it tell me what to do next.  No limits.

(That's not a hot spot at the top.  The paint is actually lighter.)

Saturday afternoon we went to the local high school for the art show/band concert/fundraiser.  Our son is in band and had to play that afternoon.  While his group set up, I browsed the art show.  Students from kindergarten through high school created the works on display.

I forgot my camera, which is what usually happens when we’re trying to get music, instruments and people out of the house in a hurry, but a few items caught my eye.  One was a display of prints from a printmaking class.  I’d like to try this with fabric, so I went looking online for tutorials.  I found this simple tutorial and this more complicated one.

The other was a series of picture collages.  The students took numerous pictures of the same subject, only capturing a portion of the subject in each picture.  Then they overlapped the pictures and mounted them on poster board to recreate the full image.  It reminded me of fractured quilts, like the ones in Katie Pasquini Masopust’s book.  The HGTV website has instructions here for creating your own fractured landscape quilt.

My quilt group has a workday planned in a couple weeks.  I volunteered to bring enough foundation pieces and red center strips to make 30 twelve-inch strippy blocks.  I recycled a stack of red fabric strips from a strip swap a few years ago with the same group.  I cut them down to the correct size so they’re ready to go.

I could have used those strips at least a dozen different times over the years, but I always forgot I had them.  Since I know this fabric is outta here no matter what, I’m counting it as busted.  That’s a whole yard out the door! 

Has anyone noticed it’s so much easier to give fabric away than use it up?

Fabric in this week:  0 yards

Fabric in YTD:  9.25 yards

Fabric out this week:  1 yard

I stamped shapes in silver, but I forgot to take a picture.

Blue Shiva Paintstik over rubbing plates created the last layer.  The first plate didn’t leave much of a design, so I switched to a leaf pattern.  Then I removed the freezer paper.  The Paintstik will lighten up a little with heat setting.

I can see endless possibilities with this technique that explore change as creation.

I am moving forward with my April TIF piece.  I started with a square of white fabric painted yellow.

I ironed on stars cut out of freezer paper, then sponged on pink metallic paint.

I added long shapes, again cut out of freezer paper.  I brushed over it with orange paint.

A few more changes to go……..

I anticipated hanging my head in shame this week over a stash report with numbers moving in the wrong direction.  One of my quilt groups had a mini shop hop planned for yesterday.  I knew I couldn’t visit three shops without buying something.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to go with the group.  I did meet them at the first shop, which is only ten minutes from the office.  I’m not sure if the ability to fabric shop at lunch is a good thing or bad thing.  We’ll call it good and leave it at that.

I also dropped off my quilt at a second quilt shop for transport to the Sauder Village Quilt Fair.  They take quilts out for $2 each, which saved me a two hour round trip. 

I didn’t buy anything at either shop, but I have to go back to the second shop Tuesday to pick up my tickets for the show.  Sauder Village also has a quilt shop, so this week has stash increasing potential.

After I got home and finished pouting about not going on the shop hop, I sewed these two blocks for the May QOV meeting.  I used a whopping quarter yard of fabric.

Fabric in this week:  0 yards

Fabric in YTD:  9.25 yards

Fabric out this week:  .25 yards