Friday, October 08, 2010

We Interrupt the Broadcast ...

Gawd, eight days in and I am thoroughly sick of speaking about myself. It is making me feel all itchy and stuff. I am taking a break to talk about something that I like more than this Month of me. And that would be Heather Ross.

I have a pretty solid crush on the woman, her fabric and her fabulous-ness. She has long been my favorite fabric designer, her patterns hold so much whimsy and life. I have a really bad habit of buying her stuff and then hoarding it in small devoted piles, occasionally taking them down to fold and re-fold. On the rare occasion that I actually use the fabric, I can be found to wince as I slice through a character or two. I've got it bad.

Well, right now, Tim is in the midst of making the boys a bed frame for their queen size mattress. It is walnut and oak and mortis and tenoned and I realized they now need a big boy quilt. Sewing had fallen of the radar for a bit, but we had a solo weekend in Tahoe planned and I saw this quilt which shot me full of inspiration.
tahoe
I also realized that the boys will only be in the 'rabbits and race car' phase for a few more years and I might miss my chance to drape their days (and bed) with the lovely Heather Ross hoard.

So, all the special and precious boy prints came out and I half-formed a basic idea and identified a few great solid colors.
heather ross quilt
I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday slicing, pinning, piecing and playing and I am beyond happy with the results.
heather ross quilt
heather ross quilt

The quilt top is far from done, but it is well underway. I also found a use for the bits that were trimmed from the light colored blocks I sewed up...
heather ross quilt
These little patchwork scraps took on a new life when sewed up together. I can see using this as the center for a pillow.
heather ross quilt
I am so glad that this is what comes from carefully piecing favorite fabrics together.

And I can say that I cut the HR stuff down with such precision that this is about all that I was left with as discards...
heather ross quilt

Funny how careful we can be when we truly cherish something.

I bet this post makes me sound even crazier than the previous 8, right?

And if you do not, you should really read Heather's personal blog. She is such a great story teller, she is a twin and (this, oddly enough, does not freak me out at all) she and her sister used to sew up little outfits for dead mice that their cat would kill and bring to them in their old Vermont home where she lived as a child (just read the damn post before you freak out, okay?). I ask, who would not want to crush on this lady?

As for the 30 days, it has definitely lost its shine, but I think I will pick and choose the days for the duration of the month. In between, I plan on posting about the knitting, sewing and life that is happening behind the scenes.

Whew, I feel better already.


One last thing... if you are a HR fan(atic) like me, you will note one print that is not of her design. Anyone spot it?

2 comments:

Liz Jimenez said...

Mmm, Heather Ross. I'm thinking about doing a HR quilt for baby #3, I just need to wait until Friday to find out which colors I'm pairing with it. :-)

Anonymous said...

i also love heather ross, and am currently waiting for my box from her studio sale. i believe the print that has the lion on it is not a heather ross design.