Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Other side of the Studio, Kaleidoscope Variations, and a Fire

From time to time I add a photo of DH, working on his boats, on the other side of the studio we share.  This is a small room and we each have a corner.  If we roll our chairs back at the same time, we bump.  I have bits of wood  dust in my quilts, he has threads in his boat.  We deal with it.  8-))

He now has his "stash" of left-over wood bits, despite him swearing he'd never stash his wood like I stash my fabric.

Below is progress on my Kaleidoscope.  The beautiful RED that looked so great in the large triangles, previously posted, was overpowering!!!  It was too pretty, too red, and when I put several blocks together, I hated it!  Wow, ya never know!  So I found something softer, that might look more "background" and after sewing away, I discovered that the creamy check was overpowering in its own way.  But I REALLY like how the strings look like squares behind the creamy check.  The camera does funny things to those checks.  Below is the layout I have settled on.  I might need to lightly tea dye it when finished - I am going to call this project, "Que Sera, Sera"  (spelling unknown).or something like "What will it be when it grows up?" 


 If you have never made this version of a Kaleidoscope, the numerous settings and color placements offer many are variations.  I fiddled on Quilt Pro, but still needed to actually DO it with real blocks.  Here are just the brown cornered blocks.   

 Here are the beautiful RED corners. 

And now I have 15 blocks made of needed 35  (5 x 7) , so I have to come up with something clever for the outside rows.  I don't have enough of the creamy check to make the same blocks so will use what I have for half blocks and find another darker choice for the outside wedges.  (Clear as mud?) 

These blocks are coming together so well - each one sews together well, lays flat, etc.  I spun the center seam.  The phone book paper is still on the string wedges. 
 


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New subject ... You know how, when you come home, you always look to see there are no police cars, no blue lights, no trouble happening at your home?  Yesterday, after grocery shopping this is what I saw!!!  My entire street was blocked  by police cars, EMS, and fire trucks!  There were some heart palpitations for a few seconds.  A car fire!  I couldn't get TO my house via the normal route-   This poor guy was just coming home from work, and parking his car between snow piles, as I was leaving for groceries - I noticed how tired he looked, poor guy, and when I came home his car was burnt to a crisp. He was OK.  This yard is next to our garage.  

DH had been watching TV, and noticed what he said were huge blobs of "snow" falling, and peered outside and saw all the lights.  The blobs of snow turned out to be fire suppressant, so he  hobbled carefully outside, with phone and camera, around ice and snow, to take photos but in the process, slipped on the treacherous deck stairs and buggered himself up.  He said, while he was in the middle of the fall, "at least the EMS are already here if I break my neck".  Funny how many thoughts can go thru your mind in the middle of a possible emergency.  He is OK today -- just sore, and is very proud of himself for not breaking the camera.   








9 comments:

  1. Did your DH make that itty bitty boat? My goodness, that is small!
    How interesting to share your space with such different hobbies.
    I plan to make a Kaleidoscope quilt someday. Bought the ruler years ago on a recommendation from you or Subee, I believe.
    That is a scary sight to see emergency vehicles close to home. Happened to us shortly before Christmas as we approached my parents' home one night. Turned out to be their neighbor across the street had fallen. Good thing your DH is okay! Could have been bad.

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  2. Glad the people are all okay --- stay warm!!!

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  3. Hi Elaine, I think I asked before about the ruler you use for the kaleidoscope quilt and it was the Marilyn D______ ???? I THINK I bought the ruler as yours look like a really fun project. And here you go again with another one! Love it. And your husband's boat is amazing. Such intricate detail. It's supposed to be 16 in north Texas tonight. Wind is howling and I am sitting by the fire.

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  4. Wow! Plenty of excitement for one day, huh? Glad your DH didn't need the ambulance! Hope he is feeling better. It's neat that he has a hobby and that you share your space with him - or he shares with you!

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  5. So glad that your hubby is okay now! Wow, that is wayyyy too much excitement for one day! the tiny boat is amazing, too!

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  6. Oh boy - hope he is okay!

    I like your kaleidoscopes - very pretty

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  7. Always scary to see flashing lights on the block but glad there were no injuries (to the car owner or you spectators)!

    Re Hubby's "Stash: we ALL think we will never "collect" as much stuff as we do but the creative muses need something to work off of. Your husband's boats are wonderful -- any gallery showings (hopefully joint ones again) planned for this year?

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  8. It sounds so nice to be able to share a room with your hobbies. I guess I do too... I quilt in the living room while my husband naps...
    That fire looks scary! I hope your husband didn't have any repercussions from the fall. I'm always afraid of slipping on the ice.

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  9. The dark red setting blocks really make the string blocks pop. I like it!!

    Glad the car owner & your hubby are both OK.

    A neighbor asked me what was going on west of my house on Wed. night because she saw flashing blue lights. I had to admit I had no idea because the shades on that side of the house were pulled. Besides the only lights I noticed were on the city jet truck trying to get the sewer line flowing again. I still have no idea what the flashing blue lights might have been for.

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