Piano Keys From Gee's Bend

I literally could not help myself. I have so much to do this time of year - and many sewing projects on the go - but after seeing the beautiful quilts that came out of Gee's Bend, Alabama, I had to put together an improv quilt top.

I am calling this quilt "Piano Keys"

I didn't use a ruler, or my rotary cutter and mat, just some mid-sized fabric scissors. I didn't measure anything! IT WAS AWESOME! I was commenting about this to someone else and she told me that after she saw the quilts from Gee's Bend, she made 28 improv quilts!!!

I might never follow a pattern again!!

This quilt was made from 100% wool pants, shirts, and sweaters. I kept the buttons on one piece from a plaid shirt that I cut up for the quilt, as a reminder that the patches in this blanket are all repurposed materials.

This quilt top is going to get a border and will then be hand quilted in an imitation of the quilts from the Gee's Bend book. Generally I'm not a huge fan of monochromatic color schemes but this quilt was really fun to make, and I'm going to give it to my son's dad, who isn't a bright colors kind of a guy anyway.

I even let the dog lie on it. This is usually blasphemy.

Stewie is kind of color-coordinated, don't you think?

In other homesteading news, I managed to throw some seeds into the ground this week and I can only hope that they germinate and grow. Carrots and parsnips and a big beet patch are all in my hopes for the garden this year.

Chicken Tractor

The bantam chickens are still super tiny. We were worried about them getting eaten by a larger prey bird after we lost a bigger chicken to the ravens. So now they have their own little coop with a run attached. Over time the chickens will scratch up all of the grass and the dirt will be fertilized by their poo and food scraps. 

This is a win-win for the birds and for us as it creates a fertile garden bed and the chicks have a place to peck and scratch.

Yesterday I visited a friend in the community who just had twin babies, a boy and a girl. They were like fuzzy little peanuts, and because they are twins they seemed sooo tiny. The baby boy was about 5lbs, like a sweet little doll. It gave me an idea for a large baby quilt that is half blue and half pink. I don't think I have enough fabric in my stash but I might have to come up with something so that I can do a photo shoot with those little babies. So precious and a very fitting experience for this Easter weekend as we celebrate fertility and birth!

Happy Spring!