Around here in the new year.

Around here, the New Year arrived rather harshly with sub-zero temperatures and a sickness that hit our house pretty hard for a few days.  I think we have recovered and hopefully the deep-cleaning I gave our house got rid  of any lingering sick germs.

January is a time to relax a bit and enjoy trying out some new ideas without the deadline of any craft shows--although I confess I do feel just a little bit lost without any shows on my schedule at present. Here are a few things I've been working on lately:

I couldn't resist buying this sewing-theme fabric.  Bought it without a clear plan of just how I'd use it, knowing that eventually inspiration would strike.  Love how it looks as a background for this collage piece.  Fabric isn't just for quilting!  I found a whole bunch of those yellow letter tiles while digging through piles of books and other random junk a few weeks ago....I'd totally forgotten about them!  That happens a lot, actually.  Because I do have rather a lot of stuff in my studio. 

Most of the vintage patterns in my stash are from the 60s & 70s; those seem to be the most abundant.  However, a year or so ago I did find several from the 30s & 40s.  I think they are absolutely beautiful and a piece of art just on their own.  I used most of them for journal covers, but this one was pretty tattered so I held on to it.  I used it in this collage protected by a clear transparency (I just happen to have a box of overhead projector sheets) to protect it.  You can't really tell in this photo, but the burlap that serves as the background in this collage has images of vintage sewing machines and notions printed on it, and is pretty darn awesome. 

And, last but not least: I had to make another Nancy Drew quilt.  Just had to.  It's not finished yet, but the top is complete.  And I might just have enough Nancy fabric to make another one.  For Christmas, I bought myself some fabric.  I scoured the internet for Nancy Drew charm packs and more of this:

 

The typewriter fabric is from Melody Miller's Ruby Star collection from 2012 and is getting a little harder to locate.  This photo above is a wall quilt I made in the fall and sold last month at What a Load of Craft! in Iowa City.  I was happy to part with it because I know the gal who bought it truly loved it as I do--she told me she is a writer, and loves typewriters, and in fact, she actually had a typewriter in the trunk of her car that very day!  But I knew that when this quilt was gone, I would miss it and so when I got home that evening I got online and ordered more of this fabric.  And then maybe just a little more a couple days later.  Because obviously, one can never be too rich or too thin or have too much fabric.  I have a good idea of what I will do with my precious stash of typewriter fabric, and will. 

Lots of making to look forward to in 2014.  I'm looking forward to trying new things, learning new skills, and playing with new materials. 

And also to cleaning up my very messy studio and finding more stuff that I've forgotten about! 

Happy New Year!