"Box Kites", WIP, and Boats on the Other Side of the Studio

I've been sloppering with envy over Bonnie Hunter's "Box Kite" quilt for a while, and finally got mine together!  Colors  are purple, green, turquoise, a few pinks and yellows.   All is stash.   Backgrounds are white, no beige or creams.  The design shows up as light strips diagonally across the quilt.  The diagonal pattern is not very apparent in these 2 photos, but I wanted to get something fresh on my blog - so here's a start!  I'm machine quilting on my DSM, my trusty Janome MC6500.  We are under a storm warning today, Presidents Day, and while bad weather doesn't seem to have actually happened, I planned time to make progress with the MQ'ing. 

Mine is 130 blocks - once again, larger than originally planned - I can't seem to stop at "nap size"!   It is finishing approx. 72" x 92".   Most of the fabrics are kinda sweet, clear, a lot of polka dots, and a few "cutsies".  The little stripe is one border.  This is an easy, 6 in. block.  If I had a design wall, I would have clustered like colors together but ... no design wall.

Other side of the studio:  

While I work on my quilts, DH works on his boats.  While it starts as a kit, he is building an entire boat, only on a smaller scale.  The wood is included, and instructions, but nothing is cut out, the instructions are frequently in several foreign languages with the expected problems of language errors, measurement conversions, pieces get broken under the stress of making straight wood curve, clamps won't stay clamped on curved surfaces.  We both use a small studio - he is in one corner and I am in the other corner.  He gets threads in his boats, I have sawdust in my quilt - we got over it. 

This morning at 3:45am one of those clamps went flying off, noisily clunking to the chair then the floor -- waking us in a panic - we were sure someone had broken into the house!    

On the other side of the studio ...

DH's latest boat building project is a replica of the African Queen, totally inspired by this gift of a hand tooled miniature steam boiler.  (Hope I am using the right terminology.)  This miniature steam boiler was made/tooled by John, a friend in Iowa - a master craftsman in his own welding shop.


All those dimensions?  I'm not sure what they are for, but John and DH know.


Sometimes DH starts with a purchased kit ($200-$300 or more!) and sometimes it is "scratch-built" - started from NO written designs.  Many of the kits are made in other countries, and often descriptions and instructions are curious, ridiculous and waaaay wrong.  Even kits need many more parts, ideas, calculations, tools, etc.  Each boat takes about 300 hours - like our quilts.  He couldn't sell them for what is in them, like our quilts -- they are only labors of love.  This project is scratch-built, but sometimes he can find draftsman drawings.  One time he had to order the entire set of real drawings, full size, from the manufacturer of a real tugboat, the original REAL tugboat made for my sister, and he had to sign legal documents he would NOT make a real boat from the drawings.  Of course, everything had to be rescaled.  Not an easy project to have plans for a 56 ft. tugboat, rescaled to an 18 inch model.

Planks and decking are added one piece at a time.  He has his own wood "stash".  Most of his tools are small, simple hand tools, and only recently, he added a small bandsaw that stays in the garage.

DH owned boats in San Francisco Bay and he is "in" each of his boats, knowing where all parts belong, are needed, and how they should be situated.  Talk about an escape!  8-))

(BTW, we are in DRY western Nebraska, the worst of the U.S. drought area -- far from water.)

We both work in a small "studio" about 11'x 12'.  (I've said this before) - if we each roll our chairs back at the same time, we bump.  I get wood dust in my quilts, he gets threads in his boats - we got over it!

On the other side of the Studio (#3)

Twice previously, I've posted a photo of what happens on the other side of our/my studio, which in reality, is a very small bedroom. DH works on one corner, me in the other. If we both roll our chairs back at the same time, we bump into each other. Despite this small space, we DO a get a lot of work done. Early in our marriage, we found pleasure in working together; even if we don't speak, we're together. He has threads in his boats, I have wood splinters in my sewing. We deal with it.

DH loves thinking, dreaming, imagining, wishing for working boats, and has, in a previous life, owned several. Now, he must be content to build them in scale. He knows where all the parts go, redesigns as he pleases, and keeps things proper, accurate, etc. Some of them have taken up to 300 hours, much longer than I'll ever spend on one quilt. He is NOT a patient man, so these finished masterpieces are indeed quite incredible!

This is a Nordic design fishing boat, circa 1900, named "Sarah", after a niece. 19' x 8' x 2'6", in real life. This was not a major project this time. You can also get a good look at HIS work space. In reality, it looks about as messy as mine!

This quilter made part of the sail, added the reef points, and if you look hard, you can also see a little fishing net, that I sewed, realizing I'm all thumbs with little items.


Now, I'm almost finished with my Easy Peasy Scrappy Spools Quilt, and tonight, I'm cutting the binding. I think all the hand quilting is done. I'll post it soon.