Craftsy Class--My First Explorations!

I think I mentioned that I am taking some online classes at Craftsy.  I have finished watching and am now rewatching Weeks Ringles' "Designing Modern Quilts" and loving it.  She is a great speaker and shares her process and tons of her and her hubby's quilts.  It is so very cool to get a one on one class (with lots of others in the Craftsy forum) from her!

 Spent some time today doing my Craftsy homework...Weeks calls them explorations, and they are but they are also homework.  This first block is fabrics and colors that I use all the time, that I like.

 This second picture is of colors or fabrics I don't care for.  I thought this block was harder to put together because if I don't like something I don't buy it.  However some of my fabric was given to me and some of these were leftovers in charm square packs that I didn't care for so I didn't use them.  Glad they came in handy.

 So in looking at my two blocks together I can see that I like darks!  I like fabric that reads as solid or is solid.  I knew already I liked argyle, and polka dots (though none made it in, I have lots) and modern fabrics.  Not sure that there are enough mediums though.  My second block is really muddy and the only two or three fabrics I like are the reds and the chrome yellow (in the right quilt--Hawaii Sunset for example).  The rest are really not ones I care for.  Weeks challenges us to add something to this challenging palette and see if it is workable.

 I added a few cherry colored fabrics and an aqua and decided I might be able to do something with it, but I don't know!

 After doing this exercise I remembered I had a bag of "ugly" fabrics that were given to me for a challenge by two different people.  I never did this challenge because I really didn't like my first fabrics at all (my partner did good on picking out the uglies!) and I wasn't sure about the stack on the right Ros gave me.  I just reread the directions and they can go in the back of a quilt, so I am thinking these ones from Ros will go in the back of the Cheddar Challenge.  They will always be a conversation piece and I can cross that challenge off my list!

Exploration # 2 was matching up fabrics to a painting of one of the masters (they gave us several to choose from) and though mine is not done, here is what I have so far.  The painting is "La Grade Odalisque" and has really warm tones for the skin and the complimentary cool colors of the silk drapery and bedding.  

I had a dream the other night with my first quilt designing idea--it was no good, but I thought it was interesting that Weeks has my mind thinking of these things even as I sleep!  

The Uglies and More

I joined an Ugly Challenge swap because Ros and BJ were doing one and I thought it would be fun for us all to do the same thing.  I think I also talked them both into doing Cal's Mystery quilt on June 2nd!  So my partner is Robyn in TX and here is what she sent me.  I love the two on the lower right and can deal with the others in the bottom row but the top row...well let us just say Robyn did a great job picking out the uglies!  But I will most likely follow Bonnie Hunter's advice and cut it up really small til it looks great!

The Uglies Robyn in TX sent me

 Ros was not at all happy with the fabric she got.  Some of it wasn't even cotton so she was going to ditch the idea of participating but BJ had other ideas and brought her (and me, SURPRISE) a bag of uglies she had picked from her stash.  I love the two on the right end!  So I am not sure if I will be making two uglies or if I will throw it all again together or what but it will get used!

The Uglies BJ gifted me

 Here are the Uglies I sent to Robyn in TX.  At one time I did actually like the three on the right, but I am over them now!  Can't wait to see what she does with them.

The Uglies I sent to Robyn in TX

While at AZ Huggy Bunch at Ros' yesterday (for two hours only then off to help my parents unpack and hang pictures) I sewed up the HST's for this card trick block for Doc.  When I got home I attempted to put a block together and I do mean attempted.  I think this is the most complicated Schnibble I have done to date.  Someone else blogged about having problems with the directions so I should have taken notice.  I mistakenly cut the charm squares into quarters when the directions clearly say to cut the background into quarters and the charm squares into a half and two quarters.  UGH!  SO I had to seam up two quarters to get a half again and then sew them.  Now I need to trim this first block so it can become a block.  Another day.  

 I have been knitting dishcloths though so that just may become my Christmas through the year for this month because I am just not getting in enough sewing time!  I do make them all year long to give at Christmas anyway so that is fine.  I work on them in the car and at work if I get lucky enough to be on hold.

 So May is halfway over (Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there--my oldest son made me breakfast, my daughter sent me a bonsai tree and the yougest actually acknowledged the holiday and said if he had his new debit card I would have had flowers!  Kathy took me out for sushi too so it was a great holdiay! ) and I still have my Doc Schnibbles to do and my sister's Crown quilt top for the UFO challenge not to mention I haven't even cut the doll quilt for Kathleen Tracy's challenge.  I have the book and really like this month's quilt so I will get to it.  My sister's Crown Quilt has seen progress...Kathy has been cutting apart bags and I have two blocks together and pieces for more.  I suspect that quilt is just going to be alot smaller than planned.  Done is better than nothing.  I think because it is made of Crown bags it may not wash up great so I don't think I should go nuts on the size and my sister will be happy to get it for the back of a couch and not for the top of a bed!  At least that is what I am telling myself because that is one quilt I never really wanted to make.

Today we are going to June's to help her unpack and organize things.  I would like to get into her sewing room and do that but we will see what she needs done.

Cheddar Challenge and Doc Schnibbles is Cut

 Today I sewed up two more blocks of cheddary challenge bow ties.  I cut a few more too.

 This quilt is growing.  I really like it and think this will remain a favorite of mine for years to come.

 Kathy and I also cut out Doc Schnibbles.  I am using the Fairy Tale Friends fabric line.  I think it is going to be cute.

 I picked out these for fabrics for the Ugly Challenge.  I have no idea how my poor partner can figure out a way to put all of these in a quilt.  If mine are this ugly I will be taking Bonnie Hunter's advice and cutting it up SMALL!  For the record I really love the large flower one and made a bag out of it.  I just have no idea what else I would do with it and it has been in my stash too long.  I can't wait to see what fabrics I get and figure out what to do with it!