Tricks and More Tricks

    Spring is well underway here in north Florida.  The mid 70's-80's temperatures are delightful.  Flowering plants and lush greenery are everywhere.  The glorious weather makes it difficult to stay inside.  I decided that today would be a perfect opportunity to take a few of my to-do list items on a road trip as an excuse to get out of the house.  It is always fun to find someplace special to photograph finished quilts. I have two Jaftex projects, both made with fabric lines from Blank Quilting waiting to be photographed.

    1.  Little Monsters,

    2.  All Spruced Up.

    Hmm... Where, on an island, in north Florida, in glorious springtime, can I find a haunted backdrop to photograph a Halloween quilt?  

    Crane Island!  I think the small island on the inland side of Amelia Island would be perfect.  You might not think that the location where the 2019 Southern Living Idea House was built (currently for sale for $6.85 million dollars) would be the perfect place for creepy, haunted photos.  I'm not talking about the professionally landscaped, not a blade of grass out of place, lawns of the mini mansions.  I'm talking about the public park with the old growth oak trees covered in Spanish moss just outside the gated community.  Southerners LOVE Spanish moss.  To me, it looks creepy.

    I asked my favorite quilt wrangler (my husband) to come along on this adventure.  He is always willing to help (and at 6' tall he makes a great temporary quilt stand).  We hopped on our bikes, tossed the quilt in the bike basket and made the short, 4 mile ride to Crane Island.  

    The bright blue skies and sunshine took the edge off the creepy look, which was fine with me. The prints in the Little Monsters fabric line are cute, not scary.  Images of candy and kids in costumes, friendly spiders and silly skulls are featured in the prints.  Emily Elizabeth designed this line for Blank Quilting.  Click on that link to see the two free projects that Blank Quilting is offering featuring these fabric prints.

 

     It might seem odd to be making a Halloween sample in April, but this fabric line will be arriving in stores very soon.  The average quilter has to have time to shop, plan, sew and quilt.  As you know putting it all together takes time.  Starting your fall quilts in the spring means you have a good chance of finishing them in time to enjoy them in the fall season.  (Remember, as all quilters known, if you don't finish for this Halloween, it just means you are on track to finish EARLY for next Halloween!).  

    Now back to our adventures in photography.  I am truly thankful for digital cameras.  I am old enough to remember the good ole days when film, with a limited number of shots was your only option.  Then you had to wait for the film to be developed, and hope for a good outcome on at least some of the prints.  If those failed, you had to do the whole process over again.  Now I truly appreciate the ability to shoot, shoot, shoot then upload and delete, delete, delete.  

    My editing skills are pretty basic.  I can make some simple adjustments, but nothing too complicated.  I did figure out how to edit and remove my husbands shoes.  I also enlarged the quilt and faded the background.  The results are fun, but the photo was still not the grab your attention look I was looking for.

Luckily I had taken a few standard tossed-over-the-railing shots that needed little or no editing.  This is the photo that you will see on Instagram and in other social media posts.

Now I am off to wrap a few empty boxes to look like Christmas gifts.  I will grab a few holiday decorations out of the attic space and flick the switch to light the fireplace in our family room.  

Ho, Ho, Ho, instant - temporary - Christmas.  

I have had several people in the Nine Patch a Day Group on Facebook ask if there will be a pattern for the Little Monsters quilt.  There is a very good chance that will happen, but first I have to make the project a second time, using a different fabric line.  When a suitable group of fabrics crosses my cutting table, I will make the quilt again and write finished instructions using my cryptic notes before posting them to the Nine Patch a Day Group.

  

    

    

    

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