Tuesday, May 13, 2008




Nines' break from reality...





Usually that term contains the word "psychotic," but I don't think there's any need to get nasty here, do you?



Most of you know that I don't "do" tedious. I once said that to a friend, and she laughed in my face and said, "Oh no, you just cut fabric up into little pieces and then sew them all back together. Not a bit tedious." Ok, maybe she has a point. But there's tedious and there's tedious. If one of my necklaces get tangled- it hangs on a hook until one of the kids takes mercy on me and untangles it. I just don't have the patience to sit there and figure it all out. yuck.



And I don't cut out tiny little pieces of fabric and then sew them all back together... until last weekend. I told you it was a break from reality. Everyone needs a break now and then. Darcie's fabrics were just so yummy, I wanted to nibble on them all day, I suppose. And that's what I did. (Finding a thimble took longer than making one of these tiny blocks! My fingertips are so callused, no thimble required!) And the little 9-patch blocks were made from leftovers from the churndash blocks- waste not, want not!
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It all started with this dream... if I cut 1" strips, and 2" squares... a churn-dash block would come from it. And it did. Do you quilt in your sleep? I don't think it would be unusual if that's what you spend a good deal of time doing/thinking about. Seems reasonable. When I can't figure out the diminsions of something, I sleep on it. Come morning, the solution is there- in all it's minutest detail. Then I have to run really fast to the quilting room and start cutting and sewing- or else, well, you know how dreams can be- easily forgotten. I do my best thinking in my sleep- that's what I say when I need a nap!
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Unfortunately, I didn't dream about buying a new spool of thread... I had about 10 inches to spare! Shew, that was a close one. If I'd been thinking clearly last week, I would have gotten online and ordered me some while I was holding the couch down with this cold... but thinking clearly while your head weighs five pounds more than usual... didn't happen. I got four new spools for Mother's Day.
The little quilty with the green border is Darcie's and the one with the peachy pink border is mine. Each 1" strip made two churndash blocks... who would I be to mess with a perfectly plotted-out dream? Thanks Darcie!

14 comments:

Hedgehog said...

These are adorable!

Pamela (Peni) Teel said...

Here's to beautiful friends and dreams!

Sarah said...

THose are so cute! I might have to copy your idea with some of our hand-dyeds.

Love you!

julieQ said...

Wonderful little quilt! I really love those colors and it turned out just great!

Darcie said...

Heeeheee! I'm just too tickled to even think straight! Oh my oh my!!! It's been so fun to watch you have so much fun...and then for you to create a two-fer...one fer you and one fer me...oh my!!! I'm choking up with gratitude.... You're the bestest!

(You will just save postage and bring it with you this fall, right?!? All good things are worth waiting for!)

Those are the cu-utest quilts I've seen in a long while! Just sweet. I've always loved a darling little Churn Dash. Is that muslin or a light Kona? Perhaps in our next life you could be the designer and I could be the dyer?! ;-)

Love you bushels and basketfuls!

Julia said...

Those are so pretty! I love simple! They look so cute hanging out in the sun on the clothesline.

dot said...

Just lovely.

kate said...

Awesome!!!

McIrish Annie said...

Nines, they really are beautiful! A taste of spring!

scraphappy said...

What delicious little quilts. It makes me want to dash out and find a handful of hand dyes.

Isobel said...

I looked at those quilts hanging on the line and thought to myself, "Either those are tiny quilts or those are REALLY BIG clothes pins. Had to get to the end of the story to find out.

I don't quilt in my sleep but I used to talk in my sleep...I know because DH once told me so. I asked him what I said and his answer was, "I don't know, you were speaking Spanish." That college class must have stressed me out more than I thought.

Elaine Adair said...

Luscious quilts - at first I thought they were full baby-size! You did a beautiful job.

Unknown said...

Such a gorgeous design - one to definitely squirrel away for future reference

Lynn Dykstra said...

I am working on two different churn dashes right now. It is such a good pattern.
Yours is so beautiful, the colors are wonderful.