Disappearing Nine-Patch

I guess the trip to Fabricland put me back in the mood. I had, months and months ago, cut up 5" squares from leftovers for a disappearing nine-patch lap quilt. I finally finished sewing the nine-patches and cutting each one into four this morning. I now have them on my design wall. I'm sure there's a way to position them, I just haven't figured it out yet. I think I have to worry about the larger patch in each square and worry less about the same patterns meeting each other. I'll take another look at it later and start repositioning.

Fabricland Doncaster Closing Sale

Just got back from Fabricland Doncaster. I thought I would get 50% off but turned out it was 66%!! More better!! So I bought 4.5 metres of Warm and White 120" wide batting for about $10 a metre. Excellent price! So now I have the batting for Ruthie's quilt but am still debating on the design. I also bought 5 metres of Steam-A-Seam Lite, sheyihiyeh (so that I have it). And blades for my rotary cutter. I purposely did not buy any other fabrics. I wanted bobbins but they were all sold out. And I had treated myself to a 6" wide 12" long (I think) ruler at 50% off a few weeks ago. So I'm set.
I haven't actually been doing any creating but I resorted my fabrics in the cupboard. Anything which was leftover or smallish (roughly less than a fat eighth) I cut into 8" long strips of varying widths from about 1 3/4" to 3". Anything between the fat eighth and fat quarter, I have in one "bin" (i.e. plastic lettuce container), all the 8" strips are in another, and anything shorter than 8" is in a third "bits and pieces" bin. I already made a table runner from the 8" strips, red patterned leftovers from various projects. I will now take the rest of the strips, mix and match and make more table runners or placemats or other utilitarian items.
The bits and pieces I hope to use to make mosaic pictures with my nieces. They also want to try the shaving cream dyeing so I'm looking forward to the next six weeks before I go to Israel.
I have booked my flights from August 1st to September 1st and am really looking forward to getting reacquainted with Amit. To facilitate my spending time and travelling on the bus with him, we went today to Walmart and bought an umbrella stroller. It was really cheap so if Inbal decides she wants something sturdier, she won't have to feel badly about the investment already made. I will surf the net and see if there are any patterns for sun shades and or baskets I can make for it, although I think between a backpack and the stroller (and Amit, of course), I will be able to manoeuvre fairly easily.
That said, off to surf.

Amit's Gifts

My big plans kept getting smaller and smaller and in the end, I just made a few little things for Amit. I made him a fabric name sign and framed it. I made him a wall hanging thingy with pockets and added some lovely animal flash cards I found at the bookstore. The pockets can be used for anything smallish. And today I hope to make him a fabric birthday card.
I'm invited to a bris on Friday morning (Nira's first grandchild). Along with a purchased gift (from M&R, & us), I made a little carriage/stroller blanket from a lovely neon fish fabric. Not pieced, no design, just sandwiched, serpentine stitched and bound. My creativity seems to have gone on vacation...

Proof

Proof that I haven't been totally idle. The green/blue/yellow is "Bridges" which I wrote about in my previous post. The fuschia/pink/flowered piece is "Out of the Box", also from my previous post.


My activity book for Amit is morphing into something else but I'm running out of time so no more posting til it's done.

Oops, has it been a month already?

Don't know where the time has gone. (Actually, I do. I frittered it away playing useless games on the computer and watching old movies on the classic movie channel).
Shaving cream update: we did do the marbling on shaving cream. The results are nowhere as precise as with conventional marbling (or we're doing it wrong) but we had a great time and I turned my samples into my piece for the FibreArts Toronto monthly challenge. The theme was "bridges" and I admit it was a stretch to turn random squares of fabric marbled/dyed in blue/green/yellow on a white background to something representing "bridges" but there you have it. If I say it's bridges, it's bridges. Both the style and colours are a stretch for me, not at all like my previous work.
Menachem is going to Israel in less than two weeks. It is not a planned visit. The last time he went unexpectedly was in February when his uncle died. This time, l'havdil, it's to celebrate his brother's 70th birthday and Amit's 1st. I just couldn't stand the thought of Amit celebrating without at least one of his grandparents there and since I can't get away from work just now, Menachem is going.
So I'm working feverishly (well not feverishly, but steadily) on a few things which Menachem will take with him. I made Amit a framed name sign for the wall in his room. And I'm in the midst of making fabric produce bags for Inbal and Rotem. I hope to finish a fabric activity book for Amit.
So I'll be busy for the next little while.

Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree?

We did. A year after we moved into this house, we planted a cherry tree in the backyard. Within a few years, it was bearing fruit and the garden was lush. When Menachem started working at camp, our garden went downhill. Either the cherries had some fungus or the squirrels got them first. We got to pick very little fruit. Then a few years ago, the tree itself got sick and started dying. Menachem cut back the sick branches but the tree kept rotting. We decided to cut it down. Yesterday Menachem took reciprocating saw to the tree and other than a 3' high stump, the tree is gone. We're still undecided what to do with the stump. I want to put either birdhouses or planters on it. Menachem wants to cut it shorter and use it as a base for a bench. It will probably just stand there as a sorry looking stump.
Our next task is to take apart the brick planter we made several years ago. The bricks have disintegrated. The question is what to do with the bricks and residue. I think we'll smash them and use them as a crushed brick surfacing for the walkway between our house and our neighbours'.
Also, our grass is awful and we have to decide whether to rototill the lawn and start over or just reseed the bad spots.
So we'll be doing prep work and major cleanup until the Victoria Day weekend when we may plant some annuals.

Shaving Cream Marbling on Fabric

I have heard about this for ages and wanted to try it out. And since I am showing the technique at my next FibreArts Toronto meeting which I am hosting, I figured I should try it out in advance. Devora came over on Friday night (I think it was Friday because with all of the chagim [holidays], I've kind of lost track of time.
Menachem had purchased the shaving cream, I had leftover Procion "H" dyes from the silk painting class I took about 5 years ago, and cotton fabric. So I improvised the rest -- I made the rakes from hairpins clipped onto stiff plastic and tried dripping the dyes, first by shaking from a stick and then by sucking the dye into a straw (taking care not to let the dye reach my mouth).
The results were interesting and proof that I need to get eye droppers because if the colour "blobs" aren't big enough, the resulting marbling is very faint and subdued. Also, the bobby pins didn't make a precise "cut" through the shaving cream so the results weren't crisp enough. I will ask Menachem to make me some rakes. I look forward to the real meeting. It should be fun. And the book about marbling I bought only because it was on sale and really cheap is fantastic. I might even read it in advance of the meeting... No posts of the samples we made because I don't want to discourage anyone.