Playing Again

A blog I check every day is Exuberant Color which is written by Wanda Hanson who really makes many beautiful super colorful quilts and wall hangings.   I think she must have tons and tons of fabric and it appears that she is quite efficient in the way she stores it - even cutting strips, etc., to have on hand.  She uses lots of batiks, Kaffe, and other gorgeous fabrics.  Quite a gal!!  A few posts ago she posted the above picture of a quilt she started in I believe it was 1999.   Noted that she was going to do it for a class - but somehow or other it never happened.  She also said she would probably never finish it.  I thought it was a very neat, simple layout.  I have been wanting to do something in batiks again with lots of different fabric and thought this might be just the thing.  (I know I have the big rainbow piece all sewn together and I am trying to figure out how to turn the long, skinny piece into something bed sized - will work on that later!!!)

I am using different neutral batiks in 3 inch strips sewn together.  The stem is a one inch strip of fabric that I ironed in half than sewed it with the raw edge toward the middle seam.  After it was stitched, I pressed it over the seam and then did the invisible machine applique stitch with the invisible thread.  Have cut lots and lots of leaves and will need lots more.  Doing my usual machine buttonhole stitch on them. 



Here are two more strips lying on either side of the one I have made.  I am also planning to put a strip of something or other between each of the vine strips.   Have not decided what that will be yet.   Kind of deciding as I go along.

Probably tomorrow I will go to Park Bench and pick up a few more pieces of neutral batiks and maybe a few pretty prints.  I think I am going to like this piece.

I called my doctor's office yesterday and was so happy to find that it is iron deficiency anemia that had me feeling so sluggish and tired.  The treatment is the iron supplement with a blood test in three months to check it out.  That was good news.