Snow Crystal Quilt

Yes, I know it's the middle of March.

No, this post isn't about snow.

Well, not exactly.

I recently posted to FB a picture of this quilt I did several years ago. 

Someone asked about the pattern and I decided it would make a good blog post.  

So, here goes.

I love snowflakes! 

(Did you know that the ones you see falling from the sky are actually little clumps of snow crystals stuck together?  I learned a lot from this site:  http://snowflakebentley.com/) 

And I like decorating according to the seasons.

So, of course, a snow crystal quilt just made sense.

These three books provided inspiration.
Snowflakes by Paula Nadelstern is a gorgeous book. Her intricate work is amazing.
More Biblical Quilt Blocks by Rosemary Makhan gives directions for thirty two different blocks and shows various settings. I used one of these blocks as the starting point.
Kaleidoscope ABCs by Marti Michell features tools and techniques that give interesting results.

One of those tools is called Magic Mirrors. You can buy it from a store, or, if you're cheap you can make your own! All you need is two pieces of mirror with at least two straight sides each and some tape. Make sure to leave a gap at the join so there's room for it to bend.

The mirrors are placed on a picture or fabric to preview what it will look like repeated in the round. By changing the angle of the mirrors, you can get different effects.

I think auditioning the different blocks was the funnest part of the entire project. However, it also proved to be the most challenging because eventually one must make a choice. How does one decide when the possibilities are endless?

I finally decided Garden Walk would work nicely.

Here it is with the mirrors. Nice and pointy.

The next step was fabric choice. Using the mirrors again, I played around with little pieces until I got the lights and darks just right.

Looks a little strange, doesn't it?

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

I have to admit, it was kind of weird cutting into newly constructed blocks like this, but I needed 60 degree wedges, not squares.

Precision at this point is essential. Seams need to line up, and the wedge has to be the right size for the quilt to lay flat.

Let's take another look at the finished product. Can you see the wedges?

I used the same dark blue from the blocks to fill it out to a rectangle and then added borders.

The quilting was done with three different kinds of thread - regular, rayon and metallic.

Most was done free-motion, the exception being the skinny border on which I used one of my machine's decorative stitches.

I must confess, I feel proud.

I think this is as close as I've come to an original idea. 

Now, maybe I should try for a flower?

More Pics!

Raindrops on roses . . .

and berries . . .

(you thought I was going to say whiskers on kittens, didn't you?  I'll get to that)

and leaves . . .

and webs!

And now for the whiskers on kittens.

Out With The Old . . .

Guess who got a new camera!

My old hand-me-down camera was deteriorating so it seemed like it was time for a new one.

Guess what I've been doing!

A Little Privacy Please!

Yes, it's been a while.  Yes, a lot of progress has been made.  Yes, I'm skipping over a lot.  GASP! 

 I couldn't resist.  If you've been following the posts on the renovation you may remember this post.  Today's post is a follow-up, specifically about my bathroom door.

First, a little background.

Having limited space to work with, I really liked the idea of a sliding door.  This picture also got me thinking about the darkness of a room without windows.   

Okay, a slider with glass it is.  (click link above for more information about the door I found)

Now to find a creative and affordable solution for making it bathroom friendly.  And, I might add, no longer the subject of  much teasing!  If I had a dollar for every time I heard the comment, "It's not very private!". . . 

Most of the time, I just look at the pictures on Pinterest, but this one warranted further investigation.  Turns out it's just clear contact paper and paint pens.  That simple!

After testing, I decided the contact paper wasn't quite opaque enough.  At least, not on its own.

So while I was trying modify the above plan, I was also trying to think of some design options.  This picture of curtains made out of old hankies started the wheels in my head turning until -FLASH- the light bulb came on!  

Actually, it was more like, DUH! 

I'm a quilter! 

Quilt blocks!  

DUH!!!

Next step - implementation!  

Oh wait.  One more test. I needed to see if my medium of choice would work.

I had decided on tissue paper applied to the contact paper with an old standby . . .

Did you know that this stuff has been around since 1967?  I remember using it back in the 70s.  We were on kind of a Mod Podge kick for a while there.

With a successful test completed, I turned to my EQ6 computer software for the design process.  It has a gazillion blocks in its library and lots of different ways to modify them.

I picked out a bunch, colored them and recolored them.

Then I arranged them and rearranged them.

When I was pleased with the layout (for a while) I printed out each block as a template.

Here's my work station all set up.  

Here's my assistant.

Here's my method:  After using the template to cut the pieces of tissue paper needed,  I layered a square of contact paper over it and taped it all down to the desk.

Since the Mod Podge dries fairly quickly, I spread only enough for one piece at a time.

Placing the paper in position was a little fiddly.

Once all the pieces were in place, I covered it all with a layer of Mod Podge.

When the first block was finished and placed on the door, it seemed to lack something.  So I decided to try outlining each patch with a black Sharpie.

Exactly what was needed!

Fini!

This is with lights on outside only.

Lights on inside only.

Lights on both sides.

I am well pleased!

Sunday's Song

Last week we sang this lovely setting of How Much I Owe.  The text is an 1837 poem by Scottish poet Robert Murray McCheyne.

(This link will take you to the music publisher's site.  To hear the song, click on the top icon to the left of the purple picture.)
Title How Much I Owe - Search Results at Stanton's Sheet Music

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When I stand with Christ on high,
Looking o'er life's history,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know-
Not till then -how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Savior's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

Oft the nights of sorrow reign -
Weeping, sickness, sighing, pain;
But, when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light;
Blessed Jesus! bid me show
Doubting saints how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

Who's That Knocking At My Door?

I should probably start a recurring post called Tangent Tuesday.  Although, I don't know if I could confine it to one day a week.  It seems to happen quite often.  Today's post was intended to show off my new door but the title above immediately sent me off on a tangent.  And that's where I'm going to start, so if you want to skip to the door you'll have to go to the next page.

back,  l-r:  Uncle Maurice, Aunt Ruth, Mom, Dad, Me.
front l-r:  Great-aunt Amy, Great-aunt Ruth, Aunt Carol, Aunt Miriam.

The little lady in the red coat was my great-aunt Ruth.  We refer to her as "Little Auntie Ruth" to differentiate her from our Aunt Ruth, mom's sister.  Confused yet?

Two of my six siblings, Susan and Brian.

Little Auntie Ruth used to live in this little trailer on our property, right next to our house, from the early 60s to 1971, the year she died.  There are lots of memories I could share about her, but the one that connects this tangent to my door is the way she answered her door. When we knocked, she would come to the door singing this  little ditty:

I've asked around to see if anyone knows where it came from but it was probably something she just made up.

Okay, that's the tangent.  Now, the door.

Workbench Update

The workbench has a new home.

And it has been reunited with many of Dad's tools and tool boxes.  Looks like a perfect fit, Brian.  Enjoy!