It keeps me off the streets and outta the bars-

The previous blog post introduced my new fabric line called Town and Country that I'm doing for StudioE Fabrics. Here's the catch: the fabric isn't here yet! The fabric business runs 6-8 months ahead of itself so orders for T&C are being placed by the stores now and they'll receive the fabric in August. However, since the Spring Quilt Market, held in May, will likely showcase the line, it seems like some yardage might get to me to make samples earlier. Notice the caveats: 'likely' , seem', and 'might.' OK, honestly, it's a crap shoot. I'm hoping and praying for some yardage, like, yesterday. The company says-get this- "--April-ish-"

But that doesn't stop me from doodling and dreaming. Doodling is an essential part of quilting. I have books full of designs and if I stopped today and never designed another quilt, I'd still have enough raw material to keep me occupied for years! The kind of 'spinning in place' feeling of "What can I do next?" is what I need to avoid--thus the title of this blog. I can sit for hours with a simple black-and-white line drawing and color with pencils while I look at the digital art of the line.

What does doodling accomplish? A lot. The first thing is that the artwork is on paper. No fabric commitment--just paper.You can cross seam lines with your pencil. Aha-and that's where the notion that the block is not sacred came from. Or for that matter, a border's not required around the whole composition either.

Who said you have to make repeated patchwork blocks and then line them up in tidy rows? Fuggettaboutit. The overall movement of the design is much more intriguing. Credit where it's due-the kindly graphics wizard Laura Gilvin at StudioE has been patient with me. I send her a drawing with directives and she makes it look nice. The Town and Country sketchbook is filling up! Here are two designs for you to enjoy. And one day-believe me-these quilts will be real.

Star Steps is a bed runner, a narrow quilt piece that runs along the bottom of a bed over the bedspread. A bed runner spreads a little patchwork cheers plus it keeps your feet warm! It can easily grow into a larger quilt is repeated three times.

And then there's this larger quilt. Inspired by a photo of an antique Welsh quilt, this quartered design has just enough traditional vibe to keep my dyed-in-the-wool quilter buddies happy. At the same time, it doesn't look quite like your average patchwork quilt. Designing is what I do when I can't sew--keeps me happy and somewhat sane. Happy Tuesday.