Easter egg coloring 2020

Easter 2020.

We did have our annual egg coloring session this year, although not as joyful as in years past because of the quarantine. We did not make and give Easter baskets like we usually do.

Colored eggs 2020. The baseball egg is the upper left corner.

The number of eggs was smaller this year... Larry hard boiled about 18.

Egg dying prep: dye colors in coffee mugs and the egg carton for drying.

The Big Box of 96 came out for the occasion.

Crayola crayons box of 96

I did some mindful drawing and tried to come up with new free-motion quilting motifs to decorate the eggs—log cabin blocks, feathers, pebbles and concentric circles and squares.

Quilting motifs on colored Easter eggs.

Hoping that brighter days come soon.

Happy Easter.

Annual Easter egg dying—what's your favorite?

Clear off the kitchen table... get out the big box of 96 Crayons... fill the mugs with water and vinegar. Let the egg dying commence!

Prep for the annual Easter egg dying session.

As busy, complicated and chaotic as life is these days, we always schedule time to color Easter eggs. For us, this is a much-needed break from technology and the other go-go-go work-related activities. We get to spend quiet time together, unplugged, just doing something as simple as putting color on hard boiled eggs. Coloring eggs for Easter has become a great tradition at our house.

This year, Larry said he found a new technique for egg dying. Supplies required: a leaf, nylon stockings or panty hose, and a twist tie. For the fabric dyers out there, this is a shibori resist dying technique.

Larry prepares the clover resist for dying.

Larry used a clover as the resist and the process worked quite well. The veins in the leaves and the stem were quite pronounced.

Two eggs using the leaf resist method.

I worked with my crayons and drew free-motion quilting designs on the eggs. I found a metallic lime green in the crayon box that got good results. Rubber band resists is also an easy technique that works well. And if you can get the brown eggs, they offer a warmer undertone and beautiful darker nuances to the otherwise bright colored dyes. 

Free-motion quilting designs and rubber band resists.

It's fun and relaxing to be creative and crafty by using one's hands on such a simple activity. At the end of the night, we alway wish we had boiled more eggs.

Colored Easter eggs: which is your favorite?

So, which is my favorite egg this year? The resists yield great results. The FMQ designs are a nice surprise to the recipients of the eggs. I'm drawn to the colors that are achieved from the brown eggs. But the forever classic "baseball egg" is the favorite because this is the one Larry always makes. And, he's MY favorite.

Quilting motifs for a guy quilt

It's easy to find motifs for quilting charity quilts, baby quilts or quilts with flowery, fanciful or funky prints. But, when you know the recipient is a guy, what motifs do you use for the quilting?

Quilting on a guy's quilt.

This is a T-shirt quilt that's going to one of the counselors at Camp Sunshine. My guild friend, Cristy, guided and worked with her non-quilter cousin, Jane, to piece the top. Jane is a huge supporter of this Camp and her heart is as big and generous as the time she gives to this cause. (And, she's getting quite proficient with cutting and piecing.)

Camp Sunshine T-shirt quilt.

The designs I chose were geometric—swirls, circles, rainbow-like baptist fans and zig-zags.

Quilting detail.

Quilting detail of the inside border.

Quilting detail, outside border.

Quilting stats:
Unquilted top: 71.5" x 92.5".
Threads: Wonderfil Tutti 50 wt. variegated cotton, #06; Aurifil 50 wt. cotton, #2783 dark blue; and Bottom Line 60 wt. poly #617. 13.5 hours for quilting. 13.5 bobbins.
Finished quilted size: 70" x 90"

The fabric print for the backing was fabulous! Bright, colorful and graphic. Jane obviously has an eye for fun prints and color. You can see the shark's fin quilting motif on the wide inside border. 

Back view of the quilting.

Occasionally, a sprocket would appear among the quilted circles and rainbows.

Back view: sprocket motive.

So, what designs do you use when quilting a guy quilt? Leave me a comment and share your ideas.