The Name Game: In Color Order

Last fall, I received an invitation to join a new bee on Flickr. I had kind of sworn off bees for 2012, but when I realized who else was in the group, there was no way I was going to miss out on being part of this group. Each of us has been assigned a month where we get to make the decisions for the kind of quilt blocks we want. So I thought it would be fun to profile the each of the group members when it is "their" month. Which means that some time in August I will finally answer these same three questions myself.

The month of January belongs to Jeni, from In Color Order. It's exciting to have Jeni here today. I have been a fan of her blog for a really long time.

How did you choose the name for In Color Order?

I love, love, love having things organized in color order. My clothes, fabric, collectibles, pretty much everything! It's something I've done since I was young, and it seemed like a good fit when I started my blog a few years ago!

 Were there other nbames you considered, and can you share any of them with us?

 I can't honestly remember if there were any other major contenders. I won't leave you with nothing though, I've had journals and a website since I was in 6th grade, so I'll share a few of those (somewhat embarrassing!) names! Let's see, my very first blog was called Heartfelt, then it was Scream Out Loud, Tender Lie, and finally Hope Driven. Hehe.

 One of my favorite Single Girl quilts

Now that you are recognized by In Color Order, are you happy with it, or do you wish you could change it to something else?

Very happy with it! I think I got lucky, I feel like it really fits my personality and reflects my tastes and sewing style well! I don't think I would be happy with anything else right now!

Jeni's lined drawstring bag pattern--in all these sizes. It's amazing. You can find it here.

If you have read Jeni's blog at all, you are very familiar with George. So cute...

If you are a collector of vintage sheets, head over to Jeni's shop. It is very well stocked and you are sure to find something fabulous there.

If you have never been to Jeni's blog, plan on spending some quality time there. She has an amazing amount of valuable information . If you are feeling uncertain about fabric choices, color choices, organizing your fabric, or building a stash, you are sure to find an answer here.

Thanks for playing the Name Game, Jeni!

Jeni is being super generous and will give away her drawstring bag pattern to one lucky person. So let's find out a little bit about you--do you organize things in color order? Which is your favorite color? Let us know and Random Number Generator will choose a winner on Wednesday at noon PST. 

It Takes a Village: I have a new neighbor!

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I moved into a new housing development?

I think it's fun to move to a new place. You can kind of reinvent yourself and how you want to live. I decided to go all "green" and "save the environment," so I bought a bike and started hanging my laundry on the line.

Well, yesterday, my friend, Dotty, moved next door. I'm so excited. We have been friends for a long time. We share a love of reading, and in fact, she even formally started me on my quilting journey.

I really like her new home. Dotty and her husband, Al, have four kids, all married, with lots of cool grandchildren. So when they moved next door, they decided to get a snazzy new sports car. And Al is a Master Gardener, so it looks like they are starting their landscaping project with wildflowers.

Here is a funny true-life story. Years ago when they built their home, they were on the outskirts of Fresno, with lots of acreage around them. A nearby neighbor had peacocks. Al and Dotty hated the peacocks. The peacocks would come into their yard, make a big mess, eat the vegetables in their garden. Really. They are not fans of the peacock.

So imagine my surprise when they decided to build a fancy new fence on the side of their house and then decided to have a peacock as a pet!! Very odd...

Oh, and I think another new neighbor's house will be done today. The interesting things you find out about your friends when they move next door. Just like Dotty, she is making some "interesting" decisions...

And in case you were wondering...do you live in a neighborhood that has a lot of CC&R codes? Stuff like the color you are allowed to paint your front door, or how many cars you can park at your house? Well, this particular housing development has only one: it is a requirement that you wear a kerchief at all times...

Farmer's Wife Friday: The Brightest and Happiest Place on Earth (Take 2) and Partners

Last week, my sewing room was not the brightest and happiest place on earth, at least not once I attempted #43, Garden Path. Whew. Some of you made very kind comments. Apparently you failed to enlarge the photo, otherwise you would not have been so nice.

In case you forgot what it looked like, here is Take 1. See all the puckers? None of the burgundy strips match. Ugh. Y-seams galore.

The problem was that I wasn't sure how to correct the problems. I downloaded the paper piecing template, and saw that the construction was completely different than the exploded diagram in the book. I didn't paper piece this block, but I did follow a different "path" through this garden. Ultimately, it didn't lessen the number of Y seams, but I was able to make a block that is "good enough." And much better than last week's attempt.

#43, Garden Path. Take 2. The seams don't come together properly at the points on each side, but I figure they will be so close to the seam allowance when the blocks are sewn together that it won't be so obvious. Like I said--"good enough."

The other block from last week was #37, Flower Pot.

Oh, and before I forget. The farmer's wife from last week was from Oklahoma. She started by mentioning that "home economics have been put within the reach of every farm girl, so that even though a mother may be a poor cook or an indifferent housekeeper, her daughter need not be...courses include cooking, baking, canning, preserving and general household management." I think schools have made a big mistake by taking home economics classes out of the curriculum.

This week's letter writer is also from Oklahoma. And this farmer's wife was an independent and forward-thinking woman. "Born on a farm, I hated everything pertaining to farm life as I knew it as a child." And then she met a young farmer...and they came to an understanding, the first thing, that "she needs new modern implements as well as he. Also the 'chore' question should be settled early in the action. I have never milked a cow. Why? Because I told my husband I wouldn't and he doesn't expect it."

And he probably didn't want to argue with her! In any case, this farming couple worked together as partners, and planned their work schedule so they could spend time together as a family.

#11, Broken Dishes

#19, Checkerboard

I was really happy with the beach glass colors in this block

The blocks together from last week and this week:

And just a peak at all the blocks together:

Don't forget to see what Carla thinks about this week's letter and see her interpretation of these blocks.

The Name Game: 13 Woodhouse Road

I'm thrilled to have Shruti Dandekar here from 13 Woodhouse Road. All the way from India! By way of introduction, I "borrowed" her profile bio. Get ready for a fascinating story. And LOTS of color!

Hi. I am Shruti. Born in India. Studied to be an Architect. Started my practice. Took a break. Got married. Started practice again. Took a break. Had a lovely kid - Aadi. Started job. Took a break. Learnt to quilt. And now nothing breaks except my thread..

How did you choose the name for your blog?

When I first started blogging I was on wordpress. I used another name. But I was not quite fond of it. Since most of my fellow quilters are not in India, but scattered across the globe, I wanted a name that would make me one with the crowd but yet, keep me different. That was the time I remembered an incident from the past.

I was newly married, mine was an arranged marriage, totally unsure, living with my in-laws like all the nice Daughters-in-law do... I had not yet started working (come on, it was barely a month since we had got married!) And I had so much of leisure time (oh! how I miss it) that I even read the phonebook! You want the proof, the name of my blog is the proof!!! I came across my MIL's name with this address and the home phone number listed in the phonebook. When I asked my FIL, he informed me that this was the old address of this place. Pre-independence! Wow!

I loved the address. 13 Woodhouse Road. 

The search for a name for my blog ended right there. I had found a perfect one. Something that had a touch of awe and oomph! Also, in the past things that were considered normally unlucky for others proved to be lucky for me. I decided to go on and use the "13" for me!

So, 13 Woodhouse Road - it was!

Were there other names you considered, and can you share any of them with us?

Actually, I thought of this one almost immediately after I started, so there were no others. My old blog on wordpress was called Shrutiz though.

Now that you are recognized by your blog name, are you happy with it, or do you wish you could change it to something else?

Oh no. I just love this name. I cannot even think of parting with it. I am even considering keeping the name for my fabric and pattern design company that I intend to start later on!

Please head over to Shruti's blog and say hi. She has a lot going on. She is currently running a series called the ABC of Quilting. Lots of valuable information there.

She has been a contributor twice to Fat Quarterly--the first was a really interesting article on color and the second was a tutorial on how to make those adorable samosa wristlets.

She is doing a twelve-month series where she will be making things designed by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson! I was amazed when I read this: I had never even heard the word "quilt" (I live in a non-English speaking nation!) before January 2010! Shruti has gotten much inspiration from Elizabeth (as many of us have...) and it's amazing what she has accomplished in two years!

And...she belongs to the India Modern Quilt Guild! I'm impressed. We don't even have a chapter here in Fresno, California (although we are current working on that...)

Whew! Shruti has a lot going on. But I know she will have plenty of time to say hi, so please stop by. Thanks, Shruti. It has been awesome having you share your fascinating quilting life.

Farmer's Wife Friday: The Brightest and Happiest Place on Earth

My sewing room was not the brightest and happiest place on earth this week. At least not when it came to the Farmer's Wife blocks.

Rather than give a little synopsis of a farmer's wife letter today, I'm going to share an email I received this week from a good friend:

"I want to know why everything I sew I have to unsew. It seems that it's really tough this week. Maybe I should just go back to bed with the covers over my head."

She sent a picture of what she was working on, and I sent back a sympathetic email, and went on with my week. I started working on a project I was really enjoying, but knew I needed to do the blocks for Farmer's Wife Friday. Feeling glad that there were only two blocks this week rather than four, I never learn my lesson and start earlier in the week waited until Thursday night. What a mistake.

#37, Flower Pot. This had some wonky pieces, but didn't really go as poorly as anticipated. I pressed it into submission carefully did some pressing, and in the scheme of the whole quilt, it will be good enough.

#43, Garden Path. At first glance, my thought was that there were a lot of pieces, but cutting would be the most time-consuming aspect. Other than that, the actual piecing should be fairly straight forward. Major error in judgment. Lots of little pieces. Y-seams that weren't really obvious in the "exploded" diagram. There is just no energy to start over, or try to fix this block. So there you have it. I went to the Yahoo group to find the paper piecing template. I'll give that a shot. Next week. We'll see what the farmer's wife from Grady County, Oklahoma, has to say, along with the farmer's wife from Canadian County, Oklahoma. I figure they won't mind sharing since they are both from the same state.

In the meantime, I'm not going to give it another thought. Because I'm on my way to a quilt show, Road2California. I have always wanted to attend but it just never worked out. I'll take lots of pictures.

Have a wonderful and productive weekend. I'm sure the farmer's wives and I will get along great next week! But I'm kind of curious--do you ever have weeks where all you do is undo
and redo?

It takes a village...

I moved into my new house today. Even did the laundry and hung it up to dry. I still need to plant the flowers in my front garden. Later in the week, I'll go explore the rest of my small village.

Farmer's Wife Friday: Live a Successful Life

The farmer's wife is finally back after a relaxing holiday season. I hope she had a restful time before it was time to go back to work.

This week's farmer's wife is from Shawnee County, Kansas. She begins her letter with a quote from George Washington: "The tilling of the soil is the most healthful, the most useful and the most noble occupation of man." She asks, "What other position requires the knowledge and skill as does that of the farmer's wife? She must be a home-maker, that is, she must be skilled in cooking, sewing, washing, ironing, making beds, setting tables, sweeping, dusting, cleaning, buying, nursing, educating the children, as well as social manager and anything else her hand finds to do indoors."

Okay. Maybe she did not have a relaxing holiday season...

"Then outside she must be a livestock breeder, that is, raise chickens, turkeys and so forth..."

#28, Duck & Ducklings. So let's just pretend that this farmer's wife jumped on the Pantone Color of the Year bandwagon, Tangerine Tango, to make this block. It's not quite the deep reddish orange of tangerine, but she worked with what she had on hand. Good for her. 

 "...she must be a gardener, know how to can, preserve and store her fruits and vegetables, how to care for her meat in winter, how to make soap and many other things...she is a financier, a bookkeeper, a home-maker, a manufacturer...."

I have to admit that just reading the list made me a little weary.

#87, Star Gardener.  This 6" block has 57 pieces!  And making this block made me a little more weary.

But yet, after that list, she goes on to say that the "so-called privileges of city life are few in comparison to the contentment and love for nature we enjoy in the country....men have deeds to land, but the beautiful view they do not own." That was an interesting thought. "Even night in the country with its stars and its dews is a wonderful blessing...."

I can say for certain that the stars do not shine as brightly here in the city where I live. There is competition with street lights, neon signs, buildings.... When we are out of the city,away from all the artificial light, the stars are almost blindingly bright. I am literally "star-struck" by the sheer number of stars that we don't see in the city.

#31, Evening Star. This block was a walk in the park. I have usually called this block "sawtooth star." Whatever its name, it has always been one of my favorites. And it was nice to have a block go together quickly after Star Gardener.

"The memory of the farm home will be treasured long, long after the screen artist has married and divorced her fourth husband, or been murdered...so I want my girl to marry a farmer that she may have the best chance to live a successful life and of being a real home-maker."

#47, Homemaker. It's a good thing Evening Star was quick and easy. Because Homemaker, in my opinion, is the toughest block I have made so far in this sampler. After you do the corner segments (the green and Kona snow), the rest of the block construction involves set-in seams. Don't look closely. I finally pressed this block into submission.

Here are this week's four blocks together:

They have such a different look when set on point.

Here is the whole group of 54 (54!) completed so far. Nearly half done.

 It's good to be spending time with the farmer's wives again. I'm looking forward to seeing what Carla has to say about this week's letter...and how she feels about that Homemaker block!

WIP Wednesday, 1/11/12

This will be short and sweet. Before Christmas and after Christmas I have been working on the same project, my Colorbox quilt (formerly known as Crazy Traditions). The quilt top is finished and it is on its way to Washington State for excellent machine quilting. So since it is not technically finished...here it is. From a couple of different angles. It is 107 by 107 inches. I don't have clear space that large anywhere in my house to take better photographs.

I've been knitting. Halfway done. With the log cabin blocks, that is. Then there will be a lot of sashing, which apparently requires lots of circular needles. All in the same size. These haven't been blocked yet and the extra tail hasn't been woven in...And that extra large block on the bottom? It was my first one. Before I bought a counter to keep track of my rows. Oops. I'm sure once it is blocked and knitted into the rest of the afghan, it will be just fine...

When you are finished with a large project, do you just jump right into the next one? I always have to decompress a little bit. This usually involves cleaning/organizing. I have found some treasures (some Basic Grey, some "Posh" by Chez Moi) and I'm almost ready to destash, so you might want to stay tuned .And cleaning a sewing room counts as a Work in Progress, right? Of course it does.

 

It feels really good to get back into the quilting groove after the holidays. Thanks, Lee, for hosting this each week. It's such a good way to stay accountable.

P.S. Have you ever watched The Quilt Show  with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson? Have you ever wanted to give it a try? I have a gift certificate for half a season that I will give away to the first person who wants it. Given to Marls.