New from the Lawrenceville Frankenstein Dyeworx

Some of you might wonder about that title. What it refers to is my penchant for making things up as I go. Since I don't plan on offering any of my hand-dyes for sale on a regular basis (call me, I can be had) consistency is not something I pine for. To lift a line from one of my most favorite films..."It's a Mystery." And not knowing is half the fun. Since most of this stuff is destined to be backsides I'm not all that concerned with repeatable results so it was a handful of this, a dash of that, stir, spill and slosh. Of course, Murphy's law and the Full Moon in play, this batch will turn out spectacular, begging to be front and center in something and not hidden away. A Confession. I broke that rule about not buying any new stuff. I've pieced one back together for the Green Monster and am not entirely happy with it but I am happy that I am at that stage, making backs, which means these tops are not going to languish with the other UFOs awaiting completion. I just didn't have enough large expanses of anything to make nice backs for the current series so I broke down and bought five yards of 90" Roclon muslin with a discount (thanks, Ryan) from HoAnns. I haven't been thrilled with it in the past but the price was right and I scoured it to death first. Now to leave the stuff alone long enough. It's pool cleaning time - my gills are drying out.

Functionaries?

"You're out of PROCESS HERE!" my manager used to holler back on my corporate days.I keep starting new tops before getting on with the tough stuff - the sandwiches, the quilting, the sleeves. You know, the Moan & Groan part of quiltmaking. This will be fourth in a series of pieces originally intended as bed-ware but complete with sleeves so they can double duty as art and entertainment. I really thought I had plenty of browns - every hand-dyer must have a pile of MUD - but I am running out! Jan says to come over and pick through her stash and I must hold off making any more of these elements before I add new colors into the mix. Of course, you know that if I don't get over there right away, I will be off and running making the Big Blue One, because I have more blues than anything else.

Progress & A Big Birthday

Tada - a sandwich waiting to be quilted. It's finished out to be 42"x58". Not as big as the other two but I was getting besotted with yellow and had to restrain myself from wandering into orange country. Enough for now - we are going out to dinner to celebrate Jake's 21st birthday. My youngest chick.

Sunny Jim

Right now I am in love with designing these little elements one at a time. This must be the same jazz that drives the folks who make the journal quilts. I'm just making sure that there is something magical in each one of them before moving on to the next one. Some of the more vivid yellows here came from the old damask I just bought on Ebay and the first summer crop of hand dyes that Jan and I worked on yesterday here at the marvelous Outdoor Lawrenceville Frankenstein Dyeworx. I have finally found a way to kill a particularly nasty patch of weeds growing in the back yard - dump the salty water on them. There's a full basket upstairs waiting to be ironed but the pool is blue, it's pushing 90 degrees outside and the Braves are about to take on the Dodgers here at Turner Field after sweeping Chicago. I think the fiber will have to wait a bit.

Green Monster

In pieces on the design wall but it's well underway. This will finish out to be about 50"x65". I've decided that I'm going to have to break down and buy decent fabric for the backsides of this one and Picnic in Hell since these are going as real QUILTS. Keep-warm-in-the-backseat, cuddle-on-the couch, picnic-in-the-park QUILTS that will come with sleeves just in case they look good on the wall too. {{{{Delicious shudder}}}}