Some Days You Eat the Bear,

Some Days the Bear Eats You

I'm sitting and waiting for my old friend from Philadelphia to arrive on her drive-through north. She has a favorite diner here and we're meeting there for breakfast so I am doing my best not to over-caffinate before she arrives. So, because I have at least 2 more hours, I am looking for short term blog ideas, and bears popped to mind. SO! Here are some of my 'bear' quilts with the 'thinking process' below:












Bare Clause

Years ago I found 40 or 50 black and white and brown and white bear paw vintage blocks, probably from the turn of the century from the fabrics. My original intent was to make it a quilt honoring the lady who made the blocks, whoever she may have been. They were just boring no matter how I arranged them on the wall, and besides I am not really interested in another vintage quilt. Meanwhile I wanted to do a black and white quilt and loved one graphic fabric I had lying around so started removing all the white background and appliqueing it over other B&W images. The bear-paw blocks easily found their way into this. Warning, I will never ever ever hand applique heavy home dec fabrics again. This one never went anywhere because it is much more interesting in life than in photos- and there really IS a focal point! You have to believe me on this. (Note to self: get this one re-photographed!)













Bare Pause


Like I said, FIFTY+ blocks, so here are about 3/4 of them arranged with some spectacular red fabric a friend gave me and some gradiated metallic cottons for sparkle and wonderful old Merimekko around the edges. This one is almost big enough for a bed but I stopped myself in time. No beds!


















Bear Collage


By now I had gotten sick of taking the old blocks apart so I just cut out the parts I needed and collaged them onto a stenciled canvas along with actual bear images stolen off the internet and scanned from all sorts of sources including some slides from the 50's that somehow migrated from my dad's carousel of Alaska.

















Maine



The last vintage block was a bit shredded so I removed all the fabric except for the hand stitched seam allowances and again collaged a slide scan with blueberry fabric from the 40's and a tattered ribbon. I am proud to announce that there is not a shred of the bear-paw blocks remaining.

And basically I am done with bears. (at least temporarily)

Here is what I worked on yesterday- I finished the second strip of Lizard Ridge and got it attached, so I am officially half done! Next time I do this I will learn wrap-and-turn but I am perfectly happy with my own interpretation of the directions, also like making it in 4 strips rather than 24 blocks. So if you do it, consider that. Anyway, ain't it purtty colors? Almost makes me forget how much all the yarn cost.