Beginning Quilt in Progress: Top is done!

My quilt top is done!  But the journey ain't over.  I'm devoting as much energy to planning a scrappy-pieced back, and think I would love horizontal stripes of the Amy Butler Midwest Modern I intended for the 6-inch border top that I mis-cut:(  But that saved me the headache of aligning the trees on the other orange fabric.  I would also like to place those stripes in a sea of tangerine for the back.  Then there's the quilting of the sandwich to consider.  Loops and squiggles or stippling on the polka dot fabric?  Circles on the plain yellow squares and lime green border to echo the polka dots?  Traditional cross hatching on the lotus print squares?  And I don't want the stitching to compete with the vibrant colors of the fabric--the tangerine hue is much brighter than what's depicted in this iPhone photo.  I'm already calling it "Happy" because this quilt evokes Pharrell Williams' song (yeah gotta sew a label too).  OH AND THE TASK OF QUILTING the sandwich.  Do I attempt this lap quilt on my own home sewing machine because I've already bought a walking foot and was planning to buy a hopping foot?  Or go ahead and take a long arm quilting class and learn how to use a Gammill?  Stay tuned!

Sewing: Beginning Quilt-in-Progress

I spent my Saturday afternoon piecing the top (homework)for my beginning quilt.  It looks a bit busy to me.

And so I'm considering a 2" border of this solid light olive fabric.

I was going to use this lime polka dot fabric, but I think I'll instead use it for the binding.  I'm actually more excited to deconstruct the front of the quilt to make a horizontal patch of all the fabrics used in quilt placed asymmetrically in a tangerine backing.

Ceramics: Mishima Vase

BEFORE:  Greenware with Leslie Ceramics underglaze (blue and blue green)

I made this vase a couple years ago....I didn't like that the B-mix clay fired to a cream color, but I did love the carving and filling in of the carved images with turquoise underglaze inspired by Diana Fayt.

Roast Pork and Marinated Greens with Caper Aioli and Pickled Onions Sandwich

Workshop Lunch:
Sandwich platter:
    Roast pork and marinated greens with caper aioli and pickled onions
    Baked ricotta with marinated greens, arugula, and caper aioli
A bowl of mixed pickles:  fennel and carrots
Quinoa salad with marinated artichokes, picholine olives, lemon zest, and parsley

Ceramics Works-n-Progress: Tiles

Materials:  Sculpture Mix, white and black underglazes, rubber stamps, Minnesota clay pad in black

Need to glaze and cone 6 fire these babies.

Ceramics Work-in-Progress: Pit Fired Heart

I know later I remember what clay this heart is sculpted from that a clay mate gave me.

Ceramics Works-in-Progress: Succulent & Cacti Planters

Ceramics Works-in-Progress: Frost Porcelain Cabochons & Pit-Firing Heart

Materials: Frost Porcelain clay, and shucks I can't remember the clay for the heart which a clay mate gave me

Work-in-Progress Sewing: Beginning Quilting Class

It all started with watching a Creative Bug video on how to piece a top for a Rosy Quilt and then buying one French General mini charm pack of another from Etsy, some pink hued Kona solids and flower prints from Joann's, and then discovering some gorgeous rose prints from a local quilt fabric shop.  I worry about the combination of quilt fabrics from Joann's which are so thin and flimsy than more expensive fabrics.

However, I'm stuck.  I still have yet to make a border or two and include a backing and a binding.  Nor do I have any idea how to sandwich it all together into an actual quilt.  And so I signed up for a beginning quilt class at a local quilt fabric shop.  I was and am so excited about this project.

I found some vivid orange-colored yardage from Amy Butler in my stash and then picked out another Amy Butler fabric in a tangerine lotus print to go with the tangerine dots.

In my stash was this orange Amy Butler Midwest Modern print.

And I picked up online Amy Butler's lime dot fabric to coordinate with a color in the lotus and Midwest Modern fabric.

I found on Etsy a sale on this Amy Butler tangerine roses fabric as well as 2 yards of the tangerine dots for only $10, which I think will all make a pretty backing (maybe).

Juxtaposed together.