Pre-clean and sorta flat

I know I am not the only one who cleans the house before the maid-service comes over....in that same vein I am now de-cluttering my sewing room a bit before having some help come in to work on a better plan for the closet.
So as I de=cluttered I also found some projects that weren't quite UFO's...more like DFI (delayed for inspiration....)First was my take on V's (Bumblebeans) waverunner project. This was a lot of fun but as it grew it started taking on a life of it's own. I swear if I even looked at this it stretched out of shape. Ya, I know it is supposed to be liberated but I just wanted it to be sort of flat...that isn't asking too much is it?

Yesterday I did a bit of work...trimming here, inserting a bit there, using an entire bottle of Mary Ellen's Best Press and lo and behold - I pretty sure if I get is basted quickly I can "quilt out" any fullness. (That is my definition of "sorta flat...")
I confess however to being a border person and so kept looking at it this morning and thinking what if? So instead of cleaning like I planned...I put on this Gwen inspired border. I used 5 different grays...I didn't even know I had 5 grays! (BTW...the borders are on the bottom and left sides of the quilt...cannot get this to load correctly and I have run out of time and patience!)The photo above is another "unearthed" project...I was trying to use up some of the batiks that have been "aging" in the stash. This is one of Bonnie Hunter's patterns...Scrappy Trip Around the World.And then there was this...one of the antique/vintage liberated type blocks that were hiding in the muslin.....I remember putting this block on my design board when I challenged myself to be "free-er" in my use of stripes. It helped!

Back to sewing...

Why is it I came back from vacation as or more tired than when I left?! Oh, well...guess that means I had a good time. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was nice to catch up with old friends and to not have any housework to do but I found I did a lot of walking (these ships are big) and combined with some late nights I way overdid it. Didn't get much sewing done - I did pack lots of little projects but did more reading then anything.
Today I went to a class on how to care for my little Featherweight sewing machine...boy, did it need some TLC. The machine is in pretty good shape but the case is really bad. Tomorrow I am taking step one to get rid of the nasty smell that keeps creeping back into the case no matter how much Lysol and other mold and mildew products I use. I have to rig up a 150 watt bulb on a small wooden square so it will stay upright and lit for 8 hours....if I smile, look pathetic and go early before the crowds maybe the guy at Lowes will put it together for me...

I am going to try and finish my wave-runner quilt top this weekend. I want to start a new one with some patterned fabric in it but will not let me start anything new until I finish a project....

Wave runner day two and stuff

I've done a bit more work on my wave-runner....there is acually a pile of half-made blocks growing next to my sewing table. I decided this morning to start paying a bit more attention to what had so I didn't end up with enough blocks for two w-runners! Also the photos help with making color choices...I'm being a bit more careful with how I use the goldenrod and the ice blue since they seem to be grabbing the eye..I can either group them in one area or spread them evenly throughout the quilt...not sure I've made a decision yet.
I picked up a copy Intuitive Color & Design of yesterday (sorry it sideways...trust me in my files it is right side up but blogger isn't playing well with others today.) Really a good read and lots of inspirational project ideas. One that I have been doing but not as well as I should is an inspiration journal. In some ways I use my computer for that - lots of photos and links to websites and blogs - but I think I will spend a bit more time on my sketchbook and see what happens.

While my iron heated up a new reservoir of water (I'm using a lot of steam on this quilt-top!) I played with some layouts for some vintage blocks I got at the silient auction table at our show. These may look familiar...yes these are some of the blocks I washed and ironed for the guild. I got a bit attached to them and bought one bag. I think I will piece a background with some blues or pinks (much better than beige carpet don't ya think!) and then applique the fan-circles down.....I'll have to go into the stash and see what works but I'm thinking I like the layout....