If the Rooster were a quilter...

 The Rooster does stick his beak into the Coop and Saucer Playroom and offers suggestions.  He is even very helpful at finding quilt shops when we are away on holidays.  But he hasn't shown any inclination to try patchwork.

If he did I am sure he'd be a paper piecer!  We (he) are making a box for the kitchen hutch.  I am very much about 'good enough' but apparently 1/16th of an inch is not 'good enough'. Then he measures twice, starts the cut then remeasures to check how much he is losing with the bite.  ???  I said he should have been an engineer.  He told me he wanted to be one as a kid but that university was not an option.  I didn't know that.  He did go to university with only grade 10 but as a mature student.  He got his agricultural diploma.  I was so proud of  him!  Dean's Honour roll and he barely cracked a book as we had a farrow to finish hog barn that took any extra time and four kids to raise as well.  Definitely a paper piecer.  lol He does like to ask for my rulers when he works in the house.  That's okay.  I have my eye on his big T square!  ;)

Speaking of paper...

I am working away on my  canvases for the playroom wall.   This is third layer.  First paper, then tame it down with some gesso and then I added some texture by scraping light modeling paste through various stencils.  

The figures have been covered with mac tac, both sides.   I'm deciding just how to use them.  If I'd been more careful I could have used the cut away as a stencil.  :O  These will be masks to spray over and then remove so the image remains.  I need to decide on colours as well. 

 I decided to work on my Trip around the World blocks.  I do not want to rush my leaves wall hanging and just making scrappy blocks  will be kinda restful!  lol  I am wondering if these strong pinks and purples will mess up my trips!  ;)  I shall make more and if it doesn't work I guess I have two grand daughters who might console me if the original flight plan is cancelled.  lol

Please take a trip around Canada and see what my fellow Needle and Thread friends are piecing.  I imagine there will be a bit of a break for the holidays.  Blessings to all and to all a good holiday!

Wow, pieces are falling into place

Two things motivate me.  Ideas, especially brand new ones are top of the list!  So first I dug out a few fabrics to start a new project.  At least it was on my to-do list so technically it isn't really  a N E W  project.

And cleaning.  I suspect cleaning is more related to stalling but it does work to get me back into the creative mode.   So I got my vacuum running to make music and we hummed along as I thought about my fabric selection.

The scrappy trip block can be found on the Quiltville site and I will look to see if there is a better one later as it tells how to press the initial strips but I'm not sure how to press the finished blocks.

These are possibilities as I want a light block with two dark values touching.  So that will take some puzzling out.

I made four blocks and they give me a feel as to what direction I need to be heading. 

There are lots of seams to match and I remembered that Nina has a dual feed function and that is very helpful.   I think I will really enjoy making these.  It feels good to be piecing patchwork again!

Maybe I can find some more examples on The Needle and Thread Network!