Gone To The Beach: 10.05.2012

Friday, October 5, 2012

Why I am Not a Famous Artist

Yes! It's true...I've always wanted to be a successful artist [not designer, been there, etc]...like my idol Susan Branch. Her wonderful blog is Heart of the Home .

I so admire how she has made a business and a huge success out of living her life as she pleases...on Martha's Vineyard!--- and sharing her lovely artwork and charming writing. I wish I could do that! But in her post last week...she says she gets up every day at 4AM!
OMG! I couldn't do that. I am a night owl...I see lots of 4 AMs, and yeah, it's nice. Love mid-summer when the sun is rising 'bout that time. Or snowy dunes under a full moon. I love to find Orion, and the planets, watch the nightbirds fly overhead.

But c'mon! What person, self employed, would actually choose to wake up at that hour? hmmmm...? I'd mope the day away waiting til my creativity kicks in, never earlier than ...4PM?

Now I know.

That's depressing, isn't it...[4! A! M!.]
Maybe she fibs? Goes back to bed?

Anyway here's my fun fall project, undertaken at yes, midnight, most nights.

I got these orphan "Baskets" blocks on eBay. At first when they arrived I was dreadfully disappointed. They're huge..13 1/2 " And weird coarse fabrics! Ugly!

But then they grew on me...a certain graphic yet primitive charm? I carefully washed them in Retayne. As I ironed them afterward I began to admire how this long ago quilter [an early riser, I have No Doubt!] so wanted to make orange and black Halloween blocks that she dyed all her odds and ends orange. She dyed cotton sateen and lovely linen a pinky-tangerine. One of the sateen blocks still has writing on it [above left lower corner], a big scrawl, like it had a weight or price scribbled on it. A couple of very pretty old calico black-and-whites, good black linen, and some truly awful coarse maybe wool? or linen/wool? tangerine orange dyed fabric. It looks like the layer of wool interlining once used in hand tailored coats...or upholstery! Gotta admire that lady's effort.

The blocks are hand-pieced, quite nicely.

So I decided to make a small quilt.There were a couple bad stains that I removed by replacing / reusing the damaged pieces; I left the written on square, I like it!

I used some of my cherished feed sacks for the backing, keeping the make-do theme going....

Some patches needed on the old feedsacks...

I sit and sew and think about that long ago lady, the early riser...would she be happy her Halloween blocks are being loved and used? What would she think about using purple binding? [What do you think?]