Fresh Starts II

How does one name a quilt? I was brainstorming (the collective I that includes Brent [boyfriend], Taylor [sister], and other text-support [Mom]) and came up with some I really loved, but suddenly, out of nowhere, the name game became a thought-provoking dilemma.

I love "the Tate" and "the James" as if I am naming the pattern. Then anything after it could be "the Tate II" and "the Tate IV" or "the James VI." But those means nothing to anyone but me. Tate is my new roommate's last name. James is the name of the library on campus I inhabit. See?

I also like "Summer Sails" or "Fresh Starts." These have more immediate narrative when you hear them. They are names you might post in a gallery. Also a tad more whimsical, these names shift the focus from pure design to story.

Gahh I'm so indecisive; I should just give it a number: minutes worked on it plus date finished, 125610152014.

I realized mid-dilemma that this one is easy. It is called Fresh Starts II. Its first incarnation was already christened, making my decision simple. And the quilt is drenched in fresh starts, moving to Raleigh, beginning grad school, a new relationship, and an exciting business venture. Fresh Starts II it is.

But how do you name your quilts? Your projects? Your products? Your art?

What's in a name? I'm all ears.

Yep, it's sideways. But what's really the top anyways?

My photo-snatching partner-in-crime and I peering through the Contemporary Art Museum window around front.

And I'm linking up to next week's Finish it up Friday because I couldn't be my lazy bum to post before last week's. Better late than never! Check out the flimsy finish and quilted progress too!

Crisp Slices and Fresh Starts

Rolling the rotary cutter across new hand-printed fabric gives me such a rush. Seeing the crisp slices through white pistachios and citron fences is akin to smelling the first breath of spring. New projects, new combinations, new quilts. It's all so fun!

Brainstorming for the new collection, I sketched during my afternoon grad seminar. Lone stars. Ohio stars. Swoon blocks. Corn and beans. Then once home, I pulled stack after stack of fabric and left them piled on every flat surface in my room to simmer. Thursday morning I woke up and saw the stack at the foot of my bed and thought: Fresh Starts. It was the last quilt I pieced for my senior show, a large cut glass block, printed in one corner and stitched in straight and diagonal lines. After this, I promise I will branch out to new patterns, but what pattern is better to start my PhD program with than "Fresh Starts"? And what better place to photograph the flimsy finish than my new library?

Check out other breaths of spring air at WIP Wednesday on FreshlyPieced.

Barefoot Thank you

Sometimes I find it important to think back on the week and realize how truly lovely it was.

In the warm winds and blossoming sun of summer, I received my very own squeegee in the mail. The postman simply rang the bell and left the package by the door, but upon hearing it, I flew threw the house, threw open the door, saw it, and ran partway down the driveway to shout a barefoot "thank you" after him. What a wonderful Tuesday treat.

Wednesday I was blessed with a final surge of motivation to finish my business plan after many weeks reading books, mapping ideas, and dreaming. I am excited to announce that the quilt and fabric shop should open near the beginning of August. So exciting!

Thursday, prompted by my list of to-dos, I pieced and printed several quilt tops. (It's amazing how much more I accomplish when I write myself lists.) This one is a peppy poppy version of my previous cut-glass quilt, Little Pieces. Although it's missing some mid-tones, my favorite local fabric shop Pink Castle was more than willing to help me flesh out that area of my new palette. Such a friendly place.

And lastly, sewing machine hunting! I had the crazy experience of stumbling upon a Bernina 830 at a local resale shop last Christmas. I brought it home for $15 in it's pretty red case full of accessories. Unfortunately, it had been dropped on its head at some point and wasn't fit for fixing or function, said the sewing machine repair man. Since then, I've been keeping a keen eye out for another one, and I may have found it last night. Cross your fingers this little Bernina dream comes true!

What was lovely for you this past week?

Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

Binding and Soaking in the Sun

The crazy pressure and pace of last week has lightened to a calm, relaxing drift. Spending the week in Georgia with my girlfriends, I’ve been soaking in the gorgeous sun and seventy degree weather. Taking time to slow down and step back from non-stop productivity has been a much needed break. I cannot believe it’s only Monday night, and I can sit in quiet contentment knowing how rested and invigorated I will feel when school rolls around next Monday.

This week for the show, all I have to do is bind up the quilts, pick the color of my business cards, and finalize my artist statement. The car has been perfect for binding, chatting and stitching away, and I’ve become a must faster binder over the past couple days. Each quilt feels like such an accomplishment, and the show is becoming something real and tangible. My mom printed these lovely little labels for me to stitch onto the backs of my quilts this year. She accidentally printed thirty, so I have a lot of projects to start and finish before December, but luckily, with twelve under my belt, I'm a good way along, and the whole summer is spread ahead of me.

Needless to say, my FinishIt2014 list is going to be rapidly growing in the next couple weeks following my show, and my works-in-progress will be multiplying. Fortunately, I have such a wonderful support group for just such a condition over at Freshly Pieced with Work in Progress Wednesdays. How many more finished do you anticipate (or dream about) this year?

Non-Stop

It's been non-stop sewing and snowing over here in Ann Arbor, which makes for a light-filled sewing space and a strong desire to snuggle up under a quilt. Talk about lovely. In the past week, I've developed a worrying sympathy for Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl's bad boy, while finishing two more blocks for my senior show. One is a modified cut-glass block and the other a crazy flying goose block, similar to the one I made on a whim this spring.  I've also set some new rules for myself when it comes to sewing. It turns out that cutting fabric after 10pm while watching a movie and drinking a beer is maybe not the smartest idea, so I've decided that cutting and sewing end at 7pm for the next couple weeks. It's possible that a movie with a lead less attractive than Heath Ledger in a Knight's Tale would be less distracting. However, I'm not going to risk it. Movie-watching and beer-drinking are welcome to follow, but they must keep a safe distance from the rotary cutter and the fabric.