Rag purse For my Niece

Rag purse For my Niece
Originally uploaded by GeneBlack

Surprise! My next project was NOT a quilt. Rather it was this rag purse for my niece. I am in the process of making the other niece a purse also. You see, the nieces' birthdays are one day apart in May.

You can click on the picture and go to my Flickr photostream to see the other side of this purse.

Journey to a Table Runner

My friend Sarah is always making beautiful projects. She is a quilter but she also sews lots of things including clothing for her daughter.

Another friend and co-worker, Judy, told me that she was teaching a class on quilting. Judy's class was on Paper Foundation Piecing(PFP). I took the basic class and decided that "Hey, I can do this!" So, I signed up for the next class Judy was teaching. That class, PFP II, got us started on this table runner. Today I finished the table runner and I am thrilled with the work I did. I am planning to try my hand at a quilt next. Wish me luck!

My First PFP Quilt Square

My First PFP Quilt Square
Originally uploaded by GeneBlack

Quilting is an art form I am ready to try. Both of my grandmothers were quilters. I like family traditions, so....
After work today, I sat in a class and learned to do Paper Foundation Piecing -PFP. It is a way of making quilt squares that are perfectly square, near perfect, and have exact seam allowances.

The only "template" you use is a printed piece of paper that has the pattern printed on it. You sew right thru the paper so you need more than one copy if you are going to make a quilt from the squares. After you sew all the pieces onto the paper you trim the outer edges and then pull the paper off the back. I would not have believed that I could make that perfect of a pieced square the first time I tried it.

It was awesomely fun to get this result. I will be making more and probably trying some new PFP patterns too If I can, I will be taking the next class - making a PFP table runner.

Inside My Room

Inside My Room
Originally uploaded by GeneBlack

This painting has been sitting in my print rack maturing for a while. A couple of days ago I took it out and set it on my easel with a mat around it. Suddenly I was entranced by the picture I see in this. Please click on it and see the larger version after you finish reading this. Inside my room there are people and things. There is a window to the outside world. I see several references to my life in this painting. The colors did not photograph completely true but it is close.

Please come in and visit, Inside My Room.