Living in Coal Country--A Beginning

I just got back from vacation.  We spent some time in West Virginia and north-eastern Kentucky.  Beautiful, beautiful Appalachia country.  One of the places we stopped was David's Appalachian Crafts.

It is run by a religious ministry that provides a wide range of services for the region including a food pantry, a nutrition program, and a second-hand clothes store.  The Crafts center is where local artisans can sell their crafts.  My husband bought a handmade mountain dulcimer built by a local minister.  I bought scraps of fabric and lace. Like I need more fabric scraps!  LOL  But they were so cheap!

When I saw the scraps for sale, I decided right then and there to start a quilt series titled Living in Coal Country.  I bought some yardage of dark fabrics to piece the bright scraps into.  I want the quilts to be an abstraction of the little houses perched on the mountain sides and with all the fabric bought at the Crafts center.  I have already started to put together some small blocks for the houses.  Here they are pinned on my design wall.

My goal is to incorporate Rayna Gilman's slice and dice technique and Kathy Loomis's skinny little lines technique.  Wish me good luck!