Dusting Off a UFO

Lest you think from the title that I’ve been off doing housework with aliens, I will clarify right up front that a UFO, to those of us in the needle arts, means “unfinished object” or project.   And I must admit that after I dug this old project up, it did seem rather alien to me.


At Crazy Quilting International, we do an annual charity project, and this year’s project is once again for the purpose of raising money for breast cancer research.   I originally started this CQ wall hanging in 2001, a year or so after I began crazy quilting.   On another list (Quiltropolis, I believe), I had hostessed a tea-themed swap.  Although I loathe tea in any form, I love teapots, teacups, tea cozies and the whole ritual of “taking tea” .  I can’t help it if my mother felt the best way to get rid of nausea when I was little was to make me drink tea.   It worked in reverse, and now the smell makes me gag.   

Back to the story - I pieced this wallhanging with snippets (machine embroidered teapots and fabrics) received in the swap, except for those that I used in this tea cozy.  

Top Left

I usually try to stay away from the color blue, but too many of the fabrics had a predominance of blue, so I thought a pink and blue (with variations in intensity) would work.  And then somewhere in there I started adding gold.  Sigh.  I wanted to use that velvet-embossed teacup.  

 Top Right

So, after piecing, I added tatting and lace and began stitching basic seams.  I even added a doily over which I planned a silk ribbon floral arrangement.

Lower Left

And in the big gold patch in the lower right, I planned to embroider a quote about tea.  It was a four line verse and I ran out of steam on the first line and just frogged it (today, LOL).   Now I don’t think I want a verse there anyway...  And that doily has got to go, or at least be moved...

Lower Right

I took these pictures so I could see on the computer what it looked like overall at this stage.  I know, I could’ve just used a reducing glass or design board.  But by doing it on the computer and posting it to my blog, I am committing myself to work on it.   (OK, no jokes about me needing to “commit" myself, LOL).

So, this is the overall “before” shot, and when I finish, I’ll do an “after” shot. 

My feelings at this point are that I can work over the two navy floral patches.  With silk ribbon, I can probably bring the flowers forward and cover or let the background recede.  Perhaps I can do that as well with the loud pink and blue patches, but I think they’ll need to be covered with lace or tulle to tone them down.    

And Lazy Me wants to keep the gold teacup patch, but Artistic Me thinks it’s gotta go (and speaking of needing to be committed...) .  I want flowers coming out of that teacup on the pink patch near center right.   And I do plan to add more layers to the stitched seams (at least some of them) - layers that will include threads, ribbon, beads, etc.  Maybe even sequins. Maybe.  

And then I ran across this picture I took at Anthropologie last summer and began thinking of getting rid of the Victorian silkie on the block and perhaps give it more of a country spin.  Less of a formal "tea-with-proper-posture-and-pinkie-finger-raised" feel and more of an "informal-tea-in-faded-overstuffed-floral-chair-in-Costwold" feel.  


So, is any of this making sense?  I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on it!  Not on my mental state, LOL, but on my “vision” for the Tea Time piece.  

How Was YOUR Weekend?

I can’t believe the weekend flew by so fast!  It was alot of fun and celebration, and luckily for us, Bruce and I have today (Monday) off, too. That means more time to blog, stitch and relax!  And our weekly “date” to the local bookstore to get coffee and catch up on magazines.   Did you do anything fun over the weekend??

I’ve been posting pictures of the blocks of my Images of Africa crazy quilt completed a couple years ago.  We’re on Block 3, so here’s that:

Again, on these blocks, I wanted some representation of people, creatures and flora (whether real or “fantasy).  The lion print was received in a swap many years ago and fit in well here.  The guinea fowl (lower right) and African woman (upper right) were just fussy cut from fabric and fused on.  The beaded back leaf in lower left (next to the orange yo-yo flower) was from some vintage lace.  The leopard print in the lower area was already “hairy”, and I carried that on with the chunky, furry fibers that meander across the block.  Tucked in there is a leopard head, “hiding” in the bush.  My favorite element of this block is the brown ombre ribbon that arches across the lower half.  It’s a folding technique that I learned from a book called Ribbon Trims by Nancy Nehrig.  Beyond that, there’s a bit of seam stitching, dyed lace and buttons.  Pretty basic stuff.

Grandma Brag Time.  We spent some time on Saturday with DS Shane, his lady Heather and their baby (our DGD) London.  We went to the Salt Lake Farmers Market (what a fiasco that is, but you’ve heard me rant about *that* already), then walked to the Gateway Plaza where we ate lunch at The Happy Sumo and then let London play in the plaza fountains.

Here’s London (now age 10 months) digging into her “Little Sumo” lunch of chicken, rice, tempura vegetables and mandarin oranges.

Daddy, your sushi looks more interesting!

London and Heather checking out the fountains.  London wanted IN!!

In the fountains with Mommy

And in the fountains with Daddy

Good food, good fun, GOOD NAP!!!!!!

We walked around Gateway while London slept.

And ended up at Anthropologie

Nice mirrors and frames.  Not sure about the light.  And the displayed magnifying glasses are a definite two thumbs down.  I guess they’ve never burned up a van-ful of artwork and belongings by having one of those inadvertently catch some sunlight (a story from Shane’s past. Returning home from art college).

Felted soaps.  Linda in WA, this one’s for you!

 And I’d love this one for me!  Must do a knock-off!  

I plan to do some of these with the real (vintage) linens!

Bruce is checking out the lights.  His reaction: WT???

And we all enjoyed this display of lights hung from the ceiling.  

Heather and I appreciated Anthropoligie’s artsy approach to display.  Bruce and Shane weren’t so sure. Bruce’s comment:   “All those lights and only one of them WORKS!"

Until next time,