a good read

The Devil's Puzzle

A Someday Quilts Mystery

 by Clare O'Donohue

 A mystery set in the small town of Archers Rest, NY.  This is a light hearted story for those that love mystery AND quilting! While preparing for the towns anniversary celebration and a historic quilt show, the discovery of a skeleton changes everything. Quilters are sure to enjoy this book as the threads of the mystery are woven together with quilting lore.    

Stay tuned for a book and handmade giveaway.

inching into autumn

while finishing the inchie quilt.

I will quilt it using beautiful Kimono Silk thread by Superior Threads  

Then add the inchies.  

The dragonfly is made by my friend Joyce.  Earlier in the year Guild friends made and swapped inchies.  We are all making little quilts with them and then we will show them at our quilt show in 2012.

It will be a neat display.

 -off the frame is Jane's pretty and large quilt-

---------

and somebody got some custom made accessories

 then capitalized on something when items from the unfinished cupboard were overhauled.

-he's thinking-

 with a face like this she'll never notice the leg and tail tucked into the studio 

(where she says I'm not allowed)....

- - - - 

and inching into Soxtober

 we Sox fans get to live another day

Thank You 

Ryan RedHotLava-rnway

and 

Alfredo A-Saveus

coastal currents

Below are some hand dyed fabrics from Vicki.  She makes up color palettes using a photo as her inspiration then dyes her own fabrics. She used one of my photos and last month she created 

coastal currents.

Visit Vicki's online fabric shop here.   Her fabrics are gorgeous.

She also posts pattern ideas with her color palettes and all sorts of interesting stuff to her blog here.

summer's harvest

One of the things I did this past summer was take a pottery class.

It was great fun to see our progression from beginning to end.

  

These are slab bowls and look pretty 'organic' I've been told.  It's clay rolled with a rolling pin like you would roll dough.  Textures were pressed in before firing and then glazed very simply.

 they look much better dressed

  Mug making was not so successful, but we have been using this one. It's small, though.

The red bowl was one of the last things made and it's almost round.

They were made on the potter's wheel.

 I had the most fun making beads, and that was sort of like making little cookies.

 A tiny bowl just the right size for dipping and a plate for serving.

 both made on the wheel

and two more things made on the wheel

I liked learning a new art, but I think it's safe to say I'll be sticking with needles and thread.

I was inspired, though, to continue to play around with some more clay...

...so over the weekend I had some time and made this little pendant using my vintage button as a stamp.

-textures of life-

 Today is the Fiberactions Group reveal day.

Our theme word is texture and this is named

Textures of Life

The seed pod theme and color way were revisited as well as using the vintage, hand pieced blocks (shown at the bottom and used with the last challenge.)

This is a traditional three layer quilt which was constructed with a top, batting, backing and then quilted.  Gesso was painted over the finished quilt, background color was added, the pods were masked then painted and stitched.

 The thread did the work and maybe for the first time embellishment was not added for texture.

 Head on over to Fiberactions and check out the challenges as they are posted throughout the day.

MA Historical Buildings Raffle quilt

Below are the individual blocks from the second Historical Buildings Raffle Quilt.

The winning tickets will be pulled during the Thimble Pleasures Quilt Guild 2012 show. 

March 24-25 at Blackstone Valley Tech High School, Upton, MA

Go here to see photos of both quilts.

 Robert Treat Paine House, Waltham

Sharon M.

The Grist Mill, Sudbury

Susan F.

House of Seven Gables, Salem

Ann B.

 

Red Brick School, Franklin

Barbara D.

Nobska Point Lighthouse, Woods Hole

Susan A.

Merwin House, Stockbridge

Jane M.

Paul Revere House, Boston

Kathleen Murphy

Boston Public Library, Boston

Donna L.

The State House, Boston

Sandy D.

. . . it was back to the basics

for almost a week after Hurricane Irene.  No power. No water.

Things slowed down and we worked together with no conveniences.  

We figured it out and it really wasn't so bad.

massive trees came down

  and delicate things were untouched

next week is back to a schedule and that will be good, I have pictures of the Massachusetts raffle quilt to post,

but in the mean time Happy Labor Day weekend.

=)