LEAP DAY

LEAP DAY!!  Well, it comes every four years.  I don't know anything that is particularly significant about Leap Day if it is not your birthday.  If it is your birthday, that would certainly cut down on the age thing, wouldn't it?
I decided Leap Day this year was a free day for me.  So, I am going to list some of my UFOs and WIPs and see if I can put a plan in motion toward getting some of them finished and out.

The first quilt on the list is a Dresden Plate made with 30s fabrics; followed by a Drunkard's Path in Batiks.  I also have 3 scrappy quilts going using Bonnie Hunter patterns as well as a small landscape picture that only needs quilting as does my fish collage piece.  Then there is the Ricky Tims' Convergence and "Tiny Town" a hand-applique project.  This is not a complete list, but it is enough to get me moving.

I have already started on completing some other "incompletes" by working on some small projects for the last two months.

I have a drawer full of "parts and pieces" left over from the days when I was teaching quilting classes all the time.  These were components that I used for demos for each step of a project. 

The first piece I did used several of the leftover components to make this "Whirly Gigs" sofa quilt.



 I made this little 12"x12" mat for a color challenge for one of my guilds.  Pink was the color and this was certainly pink.

I still had a few little pieces left over so I made a mug rug.



Thought you might like to see a "detail" of the quilting on "Whirly Gigs"

Maybe with this kind of accountability I will move forward to getting some things out of the way to make room for me to try some newer projects and ideas.

-sandi

WELCOME, MARCH! ! !

March is so unpredictable . . .  sometimes sunshine, sometimes rain, sometimes warm,and sometimes cold.  But always the sign that spring will come again.  The trees are in bud and lots of flowers are blooming or budding to bloom. 

I always think green -- gone are the brown-looking lawns as the grass starts to re-green from dormancy. 

                                                                                                   

And, of course, there is St. Pat's Day.

[[I don't do a very good job with my phtography.  Maybe I should take some lessons....]]

Here are some other things in my garden



daffodils




hyacinths





                                                     crocus                                                                                                                                                
                                      
                                    -sandi



WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Why do you think I have never quilted this little hexagon top that I made a while ago?  Because I could not decide what to do.  Take a look at this.

Isn't that interestng?  I love the three dimensional look of those prairie points in the center of this piece.

Then I put it all together to get this.  Now, does it need more cream on each side?  Or, leave it as it is?    Now, how should it be quilted????

Looking for ideas/opinions. . .

                             -sandi



IN THE STUDIO

Want to see what is happening in the studio today?

I was digging around in the closet and found this little quilt and thought I would show it to you.

I love this quilt.  It uses "Kyle's Marketplace" fabric line and I chose the fruits only.  It just makes me smile.

The other thing I found today were these blocks:

Ummmm---  what will I do with these?  How do I want to set them?  There are not enough to make a lap quilt, but do I want ANOTHER table topper?  Time will tell.


The other thing I worked on was this:

Are you curious??     I will show it to you later.

-sandi



GOING TO A NEW HOME

This quilt is going to a new home -- all the way to Texas-- and I wanted you to see it before it left.  This is a bright, fun quilt that I named "Back Porch Swing".  When I was contacted by the buyer and asked if I had a quilt that "screams picnic"  I thought of this one.

Doesn't this quilt look right at home on my back porch?  It will be a good quilt for spreading under a shade tree and enjoying spring sunshine and lemonade.

Thought you might like to see the back of this quilt.  I love pieced backs.  It makes me smile when I pull a quilt up to snuggle under it.
 

I posted this quilt on Valentine's Day.  But I wanted to show it to you again since it is going with the other quilt to the new home.

It is exciting when you send off your creations for others to enjoy.

-sandi



TURNING TWENTY THE THIRD TIME

It is not often that I choose to make a quilt in pastel or softer tones,but when my sister turned 60 that is just what I did.  She had just completed her studio and had chosen to paint each wall a different pastel color.  She had a light blue, a creamy yellow, a soft green, and a pale pink.  I thought that was such a cute idea and decided she needed a quilt to drape over her chair.  So I started looking for a pattern.  All of a sudden the idea struck me to use the Turning Twenty pattern and rename it Turning Twenty for the Third Time in honor of her 60 wonderful years.

However, she decided she did not want to use it in her studio because it matched her guest room so well.  While I was there visiting this weekend, I slept under her Turning Twenty the Third Time quilt.

Isn't it wonderful when someone likes your work enough to put it in their home to use instead of stored in a closet somewhere?

My sister is not a quilter and did not catch the joke about the name of the quilt until I explained it to her.  She only nodded.

She is a very talented woman in her own right.  She composes music and has a beautiful singing voice.

Love my visits with my little sister!

-sandi



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

This little piece was made from leftover Mary's Triangle Blocks that I had made using my hand dyed fabrics.  I hang it every year to tell my DH that I am thinking about him!

Baskets with Love Apples (Pomegranates)

A table runner for my kitchen nook.

I never thought that I was a "pink" person until I made this little runner and I decided that I could like some pinks.

This was my Color Wheel Mock Up for making the Love Apples.  I don't always do this, but there are times when I find it very helpful.

Think sweet thoughts today!

-sandi

WHERE I HANG OUT

This is where I come to play, create, and experience life in my artsy way.  I like to piece intricate patterns in a traditional way:      










Other times I want to do something a little more modern:                                                                    

No matter what style or technique I am using it is always fun.  Well, mostly it is fun.  Occasionally I have to rip something out and start over.  I try not to let that happen too often.

I have a bit of stash      

A guard kitty named KeeKee who is also the official quilt inspector.

     Some projects waiting for attention

And a wonderful old Mercantile Cabinet for my odds and ends of things.  The only place that is neat at this time is my sewing machine area.  That is because I have just finished a project and am starting the next one.  I try to clean between projects. . .

So, now you have seen where I hang out.  Hope you will come back by and see some projects in progress.  I love having you stop by and please leave comments.

-sandi

FRIDAY:: WHAT I AM WORKING ON

My latest project is a version of Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt, "Orca Bay".  I have spent several weeks putting this quilt together.  I want to add some interesting borders to enlarge it to King Size Bed Size.  Waiting for the quilt to tell me which direction to go. 

Here is a picture of the quilt to this point:

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Welcome to Frog Pond Studio!!!

Sometimes it's how you "look" at things that makes all the difference . . .

One person might come into my creative studio and see "stuff":  scraps of fabric; lovely threads; buttons and other embellishments; zippers; and an untidy work space.  I, on the other hand, walk into this sanctuary and see beautiful quilts just waiting to emerge; purses to be put together; totes to make for friends and loved ones; and ideas everywhere.  I see squares of fabric to make wonderful quilts with interesting stories yet to be told.  I feel creativity tugging at my heart and soul.  I must create every day!!

In reality, whether I am making a t-shirt quilt for one of my grandsons, an heirloom quilt to pass down for generations, or a scarf or purse for a commission piece, I hope the love I have for my art radiates in my end product and the receiver can share the joy I experienced while I was creating.

So, although some may see a mess, I see a masterpiece yet to be born.  If your vision is skewed like mine . . .  Then come along with me on my journey to find the path to beauty in my creative workshop.

Come visit me and tell me your thoughts and ideas.  I would love to have you visit here at the Frog Pond often.