Scrap-a-mania!

  Yes it's Scrap-a-mania!  Yipee!  I am making all kinds of lap quilts for kids to enjoy.  Right now I have 3 that are alike that are all done except the binding.  Those are pictured here.

The three quilts are alike with respect to design.  The printed fabrics are placed randomly and all three quilts are bordered all around in white as are each of the blocks.

The quilting was done on my sewing machine in sets of three rows with about an inch and one half between each set.  Here is also shown the backing on two of the quilts.

Here you see the backing on the third quilt - it is a solid yellow- it is what I had on hand, remember I am stash busting!

This shows a portion of the overall design of the three quilts.  These quilts were fast and easy.

   Started are at least 7 others which I will employ half square triangles.  The half square triangle always does a great job because you can play with them endlessly to create a mountain of designs that will please almost any quilt enthusiast.  Color is the secondary consideration with those.  I will be sewing them ALL together before I bind them, that way I can sit at the end of the evening and hand sew the binding on.   I can't wait to see what direction the half square triangles lead me to.  It's very exciting.
  Once the tops are all sewn together it's onto the machine for them and I will do some simple quilting.  What I have not decided to do is quilt in the ditch or do some square stitching to accent the square design that will come out of them.  I will photo them and show when they are completed as well.
  Then I will move on to a different pattern - I think maybe a "braid".  We'll see.
 
   Another year is about to come to an end - the goals that I had set for myself of finishing some of the UFO's that are flying around in my sewing room were met, well at least some of them and I am glad about that.  I also did manage to do some more dyeing than last year.  And also though try as I might I started a few more projects that are now in the near finished stage - NOT the UFO stack.  So for the next couple of days I will be thinking about what goals I will set for myself for this coming year frolicking with fabrics.  What goals are you contemplating for yourself?

Another Inspiration!

Black Swallow Tail larva just hanging around my cabbage plant - which the little guy can have!

Same larva, just another view from above capturing its head, I don't think that it is eating the cabbage though.  

Here is the topside of the same larva.  I love the rows of black against the green and yellow.  It is a quite striking pattern.  Do Black Swallow Tail  butterfly larva like cabbage?  I can't say that I blame them if they don't, even if it is good for you.

  So this year having decided to plant cabbage, only because of the color of the foliage as it will not enter this body (bleh), I came across a brightly colored caterpillar.  Into the house I ran (as if the little fellow was going to run away with all those legs!) to grab my camera.
  When I came back outside it was still there, whew!. So snap snap snap, once again mother nature has provided an incredible sample of just what she can do!  Identifying it as a black swallow tail butterfly larvae with my handy dandy high tech library (computer) was very time consuming, it took around twenty point nine five seconds, but I did it.  I was determined, by golly.
  So here are some of the snaps that I took.  Click to enlarge them.  If it is still in the same place I will take some more pictures to see if it is planning to make this spot it's home while it turns into a butterfly, hope so.  Don't know if it needs protection, but mother nature has planned all that out I'm sure.  My plan is to make another quilt using this small insect as my inspiration.