there is something in the air. 
a top from grandma's brass container.
i have a lot of old stuff that was collected from the phillipines and asia by my father's mother.
this one inspiring a quilting motif for the sunflower corner. it can come through to the kitchen side....it is walter's grandma too.
and a gift from acey, faces seem to be "there already".
and i am loving this little gem
i found this morning and how it is integrated into the base fabric.food for though on #25.
while the bread is baking i am also thinking again about the corner of the garden that lies behind the kitchen section of the quilt.
this was to be "sunflower corner" which i was planning a while back. surrounded by the garden gate.
i'm reviewing my notes and planning a variety of sunflower motifs, a little like a sunflower sampler.
there are so many ideas to work from.
there was that suzani design, the wooden sunflower tile that came all the way back back from bali, the real sunflower grown and photographed by walter himself...
and now a few new ones to add to the inspiration.
.
..a tiny sunflower print fragment from my curtains in the room i grew up in at home.... which goes so nicely with a print sent as a gift all the way from india.
(i am thinking of using this technique for one of the flowers)
fabrics with stories....fabrics with stories....fabric with stories....
and a new chapter....yesterday i received yet another treat from Kim , a print from which i extracted this lovely flower which is just a perfect addition to the sunflower garden.
of course there was more in that little package, including some amazing pink silk and i will be getting back to those pink minis soon so i can experiment with it.
the sunflower corner is this weekend's project, and the bread should be ready too.
over the next few days i am going to reorganize my links and references and also the methods by which i present them. if anyone's link disappears, don't despair i will get it right eventually. you all know what happens when you start mucking around with your blog format....
in the meantime i would like to spotlight the last one i added Giornale Nuovo, and to thank sharon b over at MIndtracks . it is wonderful resource in a beautiful format.
details 
journal pages will be switched to my new blog. need to finalize format first. 
right out of the washer and dryer. 2X and i have to say, i am satisfied with the possibilities. i did not get that much fraying. i do get some cracking though because the piece tends to fold and open up along the meeting lines. what if i cut slightly bigger and what if i quilt all the way across, engineering the stitch placement to tack the edges at regular intervals? and what if i plan for the ground fabric to be part of the effect and cut on the bias to minimize the fray as Nellie mentioned.
I move on to the new blog from here with my next post. no expectations, just a hands on myth busting journey to better understand processes and fabrics. a journey that needs no new fangled technology or preconceptions. just needle and thread and fabric and the patience to see clearly.
back to the river quilt here tomorrow....spring has finally arrived and i will be working in that garden. (this pic is animated, click refresh to glimpse a lifetime)
what if.... patchwork could be done with no seams?
i am starting a new blog to catch all my journal thoughts. this blog will continue to follow the Listen to the River quilt. the other will be a personal question and answer textile study journal. WHAT IF will be up and running in a few days. there will be a link on this site. and i am going to try some video.
1 1/4" grid drawn on canvas foundation.
squares of cotton cut exact size, all pre-washed
2 strand floss quilting
each square quilted separately in both directions
running stitch with back stitches taken at the end of each row
what if this is machine washed?
eureka! i was going to do some scribble quilting over crayon but i accidentally discovered another method while doodling around. TIP if you heat up the fabric with an iron and then draw, the effects are more intense and the crayon goes on like butter on hot toast. more color seems to hold and blending is easier.
a small test basted and ready for stitches. i think the lion needs some spots.
how it happens that you come across things that inspire you? i don't know. today a few things just crossed my path that made me think about that.
i am glad i keep a small notebook with me to jot things down, you never know when you will get the opportunity to catch a thought. even on a commuter train.
the fabric with the star print is streaked with glue. it came from an old swatch book. i like it as inspiration for making polka dots into stars so easily.
tear drops are in order as part of my quilt story.
and this magical jacquard stripe i uncovered, how is it that i come across these things at just the right time? i won't use the fabric but the checkerboard dot idea is perfect. or maybe i will use the fabric. or may be i will cut out out the dots. or maybe i will scan this and print it on another fabric.... i'm rambling.......
If the path before you is clear,
you are probably on
someone else's.
-Carl Jung