WASTE LAND

Vik Muniz does something spectacular with the garbage pickers in Rio De Janeiro Jardim Gramacho landfill.  The people who sift through the trash of millions, end up enlightened and infamous.  Well worth a viewing.

WASTE LAND

Twinkle twinkle

Recently I finished up a Bernina mastery class at my local quilt shop.  As I passed the front desk on my way out, this regal beauty hung high on the wall.

They call it Amish With A Twist II.  I stared longingly at the stunning piecing and quilting, in fantastic solid-only color ways, and at 150in square, imagined it hung high on a wall in my home or on a california king.  Maybe one day...  I left the shop with a skip in my step just thinking about it

Over at a friend's house the next day, I caught a glimpse of a photo of AWAT II on her dining room table, and a fabric kit lying close by.  Could it be?  I stopped in my tracks, grabbed my friend and demanded an explanation.  Yes, she joined the block-of-the-month club to make this other-wordly quilt.    And so I joined her on this fantastic journey.

They say this quilt has a twinkle effect.  I couldn't agree more.  Stay tuned!

WIP Wednesday

Figured I'd jump on board with the rest of the quilting blogsphere and post work(s)-in-progress Wednesday.  With every quilt finish comes an intense feeling of accomplishment, yet other projects begin filling my mind almost immediately.

Wee Woodland modified 9-patch.  

This is the first quilt I pieced.  I began it after my daughter was born as I was just learning to quilt.   This was also before I earned the courage to free-motion quilt, thus credits for quilting go to Teresa.  Still needs a binding and then will be perfect for fall picnics in the park.

5 1/2 in pinwheels

I found this stellar vintage small print fabric collection at The Fox and the Fable.  Perfect 6-in charm squares of the prints and sandstone solid have made piecing these pinwheels a dream.  Stay tuned!

The day my son picked me flowers

Not long ago my son began picking flowers.  Well, gripping and ripping them low on the stems is more like it.  He gets hold of the base of a branch of vanhoutte spirea in my father's back yard, and yanks intently on the shrub, the tiny yellow, orange and red flowerettes snowing down around him as he labors to pick just one.  He looks puzzled.  

Today I am reminded of his determination when I hear him approaching me "Mommy?  I picked these for you."  His little hand grasps tightly around a small bouquet of red-orange vanhouette, three stems maybe, with a few leaves half falling off.  I kneel to acknowledge him, looking him square in the face and smile.  "Here Mommy."  He nubs the stems into my hand.  They are warm from his perspiring grasp.  My heart is heavy.  He smiles and so do I.  

DFL

Heather Spence Designs
Happy Independence Day!

Remember me?  Back in January, when the year was fresh and the air chilly, I found the Dragonfly Daze line by Northcott especially for DFL.  This is a simple double size hourglass quilt top with an even simpler border.  The hourglass blocks measure 9x9 inches.  

The temperature is only about 80 degrees hotter today than it was that day in January, yet my husband and son trekked out to the back yard and helped me take a few photos of my latest project.  See the finished product at Kumquat Quilts.