Skinny Stripe

Another Improv stripe experiment.  Same solids....different striped fabric and a little different approach.  LOVE that really skinny wonky stripe.

I'm going to make a variety of swatches and blocks before I figure out what I'm going to do with them....but I do like how this looks in a square frame.  Creative daily practice....that's what I'm doing.

"No matter what obstacles we face, the season we are in will eventually unfold into new ones, and year after year we bloom.  We become something new." 

Wise words from a blog post by Morgan Harper Nichols: Reflecting on a Conversation With Olivia Lin.  "In order to plant something new, perhaps what truly matters is that we learn to cultivate joy in the process.  We learn to embrace that through all the unknowns that come along with newness, there is room to practice. There is room to cycle our way through the process of trying and creating.  We don't have to figure it all at once and we are free to find joy on the journey while practicing."  

In this blog post Morgan used the flowers of May to reflect on things like confidence, success, and authenticity...and of course JOY.  It was a beautiful post and I highly recommend it.  

https://morganharpernichols.com/blog/a-practice-in-joy

"Make new things as an act of hope....as a practice in joy." 

MHN

"Keep planting and sowing, living and knowing...beautiful things take time, and that is okay."  

MHN

I spent a good chunk of the day in the gardens.  Weeding, edging, and mulching in my own...and helping my neighbor Sandy get hers all weeded and tweaked.  Almost all of these plants came from my garden in Lexington a few years ago....and they're thriving.  Hosta and other perennials just keep giving. Sandy adds a few annuals along the edge for color every year....she loves her garden!

I don't show this garden very often....it's not one that got attention today.  Not that long ago it was a scruffy mess at the end of the rock wall and now it's staring to look like something....still a little wild...but much more interesting than it was.  I love this little cluster of skinny trees....and the driftwood slab that Jolee found on the beach is the perfect accent.  

Improv Stripes

My little horseshoe garden at the Condo is doing well....and I'm celebrating Pride Month with a little rainbow flag!  And here's a preview of my next puzzle....rainbow washi tape...seems just right doesn't it? It's only 300 pieces....but will be so much fun. 

I put my feet up and sorted the edge pieces on the back patio. The pieces are such nice quality and the colors are fantastic! Can't wait to get started!

Even though the gardens have had most of my attention....I'm still trying to sew as often as I can.  I follow Debbie Jeske's Instagram page called a quilter's table.  I've been drawn her improv stripes where she uses either two fabrics...or multiples to create her own striped fabric and uses them in a variety of ways. This is one of her quilts.

I explored her site and found that back in 2017 she did a quilt-a-long improv stripe challenge and many of the results can be seen in the following link...I love some of the fabric combos.
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/improvstripes/  

I also read her tutorial where I learned some good tips.  

https://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/2017/07/improv-stripes-tutorial.html

Inspired by one of the quilts posted during the challenge I started with this Kaffe Fassett stripy fabric I love....and some jewel toned solids. I actually just realized that this fabric looks a lot like Debbie's quilt.

The fact that the strips are a little wonky and varied in size is intentional....the organic shapes are what I like most. I actually think I should push it a little farther making them even more varied and wonky.

I'll probably do a little slicing and dicing....and paired with some other Kaffe fabrics....maybe I can make something interesting.

I also played with some indigo fabrics...and some of the black and white fabrics I use for birch trees.  Right now I'm just experimenting....we'll see.  I'm just sewing!