Rainy Day = Library Day!

and the library books were due back :)  The kids all love books and being able to claim books as their own for three weeks is a treat!  After they finished finding what they wanted, I took a few minutes to look beyond the usual racks.  I did check out the quilting section still but looked a bit further as well :)

 Living the Creative Life
Love the colorful page layouts and ideas.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Website

I figure there's always more to learn!

Quilts 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories

A few pictures below :)

Doug Aitken: A-Z Book (Fractals)

Snagged this at the one in the last moment before exclaiming "Time to go!"  (in my quietest frazzled voice)

 This one made me think of my friend Amy.

 See text below for what is written in the quilting.

 Hexagons!

Amazing pieces in this bed ensemble - all hand pieced around 1730-50

I have plans to further enjoy these books and quilts but just had to share with you!  Have you found anything good at the library lately?

Amy

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Little Things

It's the little things that make me happy most days.  Like the five minutes that all four kids get along each day, or a empty kitchen sink (it's not right now).

Or the little tulips gathered from the yard.

And inspiration for, yet another quilt.

I just love the colors in this couples photographs!  They have a gallery in Park City.

All these little things, (and a few more) bring smiles to my face, and my heart over the course of the day.  What's making you smile today?

Amy
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This is a little embarrassing -

While working frantically to finish my quilts for my book, I kinda let stuff go.  Understandable, right?  Well here's the aftermath --

After finishing a quilt top, all the extras went in the tub, when I got a quilt back from Natalia, the excess batting and backing, went in the tub.  And then the extra binding, you guessed it, went in the tub!  Now it's just a mess, and I'm just going to put it back in the closet and ignore it for a while longer.  That will help, right?

My little shelf of fabric hasn't emptied out like I thought I would either - I love looking at it, and dreaming up new projects.  I have a little more fabric in dresser drawers, I guess I'm turning into a stasher :)  I don't have space to be, but I'm not getting rid of it, unless in the form of quilts, or bags, or dresses!

I cut my last quilt for the book last night :)  Sorry, no peeking!

Hugs~
Amy
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Inspiration: Solid Quilts

I think you all know that I love color, and solid fabrics can be so pretty all on their own!  Today I have a mosaic of inspiration for you:

1. city green, 2. Abstract squares, 3. Bar Code Quilt, 4. Habitat Quilt, 5. Solids quilt, 6. The Tempest
Created with fd's Flickr Toys


I have a quilt planned in solids (1 of 2 for the final book deadline) and I can't wait to get started!  These pictures make me even more excited.

Thanks so much to all of you that shared your favorite parts of quilting, I'm pretty hard pressed to pick favorites too but the moments I mentioned seem almost magical to me.  The quilt coming to life. . . I know it doesn't breath or anything, but you get me right!?  Anyway, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment - it means a lot to me.

Blessings :)
Amy

PS - Where did March go???
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Color!

I love color!  I've drooled over solids from time to time, admiring the variety of tones within one color group.   I convinced myself decided to purchase a color card for the Kona Cottons, after spending far too long deliberating the "perfect" color. 

Faster decisions for me!  I've enjoyed admiring the board, imagining what I will do next.   

Have you made a solid quilt? 

It's on my list :)



 Amy
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Fresh for February

I spent a bit of time going through my flickr contacts and groups in my reader over the weekend.  (Probably 1500 images!)  A few favorites jumped out at me and I thought I would share --

 

 1. Color Wheel Mini Quilt, 2. DQS8 #1 "Think Spring", 3. Turquoise Circles Quilt Front by Peppermint Pinwheels, 4. Work Quilt #2, 5. bw hand quilt, 6. a quilt for a new baby, 7. Rainbow Quilt, 8. DQS8 progress, 9. Dorset Quilt, 10. The Gobstopper Quilt, 11. Pinwheel quilt, 12. Footballs of Destiny

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

I also have a favor to ask.  I need help naming my quilts for my book.  My creativity seems to cease when looking at my modern simple quilts - that I LOVE.  Any suggestions would be welcome :)  I know it's difficult without seeing them - sorry!

Happy Monday!

Amy

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Sources of Inspiration

I don't know about you but I find myself missing Amanda Jean's posts and her regular dose of inspiration, so I thought I would share a list of bloggers I have found inspirational over the last year! 

In no particular order -
Em's Scrapbag
Millions of Thoughts Trapped in my Head
House of Krom
Candied Fabrics
I Have to Say
Piece N Quilt
Amy a la Mode
Naptime Quilter
Amylouwho
Diary of a Quilter
Mochi Studios
Patchy Work of Mini Grey
Sew Inspired




1. Work Quilt, 2. rectangles with attitude, 3. Watercolor Quilt, 4. Squares quilt, 5. Plain spoken, 6. Beaded Curtain Quilt - Kaffe Fassett design, 7. Pick & Choose Quilt Front, 8. Mary on Lake Pulaski, 9. 2009 Summer Sun, 10. Mermaid Garden, 11. Heidruns Blomster/Flowers, 12. Amy Butler Charm Quilt, 13. Quilt "vinter - rose"~ "Winter - Rose"
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
These ladies are friends who post about quilts, family and other creative endeavors - I hope you enjoy checking them out!  The mosaic is a group from my flickr favorites - I needed a a picture and it was so good to look around there a bit again. 


Where do like to go for inspiration!?  

Amy
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Quilt Inspirations

I just picked Emmalie up from Kindergarten, and this weekend has been so crazy full and busy there's been no time to plan or schedule posts. BUT Em came home with this --

Meet the Masters is at it again!  This month all the students have or will study Piet Mondrian and his modern art.  I see a quilt in this, do you?

Amy

PS - Thanks Cindy for the inspiration!
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Fabric Eye Candy

I got a little Hope Valley - I love the color range and the little prints!

Some of the teeny prints are hard to get a feel for online - they are great!

And all of the fabric is soft, and has a good weight to it.

Love the colors!  (I think I already said that)

This is what I'm working on at the moment.  I really should have been done yesterday, but I was painting. . . it's Breath of Avignon due out next month. :)

Check my sponsors out for your own assortment of Hope Valley!

I added a poll to my sidebar - How much fabric have you bought this year? It's just for fun, and anonymous, go cast a vote!

Have a great weekend~

Amy
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Cath Kidston Love!

I love my blogging friends! Andrea found this while shopping and thought of me - it's a Mending Kit in adorable Cath Kidston form! Thank you, Thank you Andrea!!

Love all the colorful bits and there is a built in pin cushion.
And how-to booklet to get started with.
Also Cath Kidston related - I have the Christmas catalogue! If you have gotten one in the past you still need to go order one to get it again. Everything inside is beautiful!
We had a lovely Thanksgiving with lots of great food! Today we are enjoying a bit of a warm up and heading to the park with our kids :) Fun family days are the best! I hope that you are well and blessed today ~
Amy

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Quilt Scene Inspiration

After seeing the cover of this magazine online - I had to have it!! I waited and waited, a coupon came up to use via the Interweave store, and I went for it. If I were to buy it now I would go see Kathy. So glad to have this mag in my collection too - beautiful inspiration on every page! Even the advertisements were inspiring :)
A couple of the winning quilts in Houston --
They featured a few of the 900! quilts on display --



And there's projects in the magazine as well!



I need to go read through it again, looking at the pictures makes me want to get my sewing machine out too!

I hope you are well and blessed ~
Amy
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Color Wheel Inspiration

Hi there! With all our trips to the library - I have exhausted the quilting books of interest. So with our last visit I brought home a design book! I've been checking out more home design type mag's too when looking for inspiration - I find myself more and more challenged to make my own quilts instead of a pattern.

The photography in Design! is stimulating and the text is worth reading. I found myself drawn to Chapter 3 - Visual Elements and his section on Color, and felt the inspiration coming on :)Love that color wheel! And so I started looking for quilt inspiration on flickr, this is just a taste of what you find when searching "color wheel".


1. Oh, 2. inspiration day one, 3. 10-08 crazy color wheel, 4. DQS#7 Top Finished. Clockwise?, 5. FQ Stack for Color Wheel Quilt, 6. Black Color Wheel quilt top done!, 7. Full view of DQS7 quilt, 8. color wheel, 9. The front

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Being the individual that I am, I cannot copy any of these beautiful creations, but I know that I will have to create a quilt reminiscent of a color wheel in the near future! I need to go organize my chest of fabric and see what scraps I can pull together :)

Also in my color wheel hunt I found a couple of great articles --
Purl Bee - Thinking in Color
All People Quilt - Choose Fabric with Confidence

Be Inspired and Enjoy the process!
Amy

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