Ben Millett
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benmillett.us
Ben Millett
@benmillett.us
950 followers 270 following 1.3K posts
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
🌈 🌈 🌈

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https://benmillett.us
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benmillett.us
Seen in Des Moines, too!
Red and green aurora borealis Pink aurora borealis Red and green aurora borealis
November 12, 2025 at 3:33 AM
benmillett.us
So… why not take a crazy chance?
A tiny quilt of white fabric with the words “why not do a crazy dance” quilted in orange thread, and a blue running stitch is doing loops and is super wavy.
November 12, 2025 at 2:58 AM
benmillett.us
Pretty stoked to drop these needle minders in the mail!
A white hand holds multiple cardboard envelopes
November 12, 2025 at 12:16 AM
benmillett.us
I’m taking an approach in between my Single Pager format and a regular pattern. I have a cutting guide and suggested cutting layout, a page of “use these patches to make these blocks”, a basic “put these blocks together to assemble the quilt” page, and then generic block construction instructions.
Eight pages of a quilt pattern, stacked so a bit of each is visible. The photo was made black/white.
November 11, 2025 at 11:11 PM
benmillett.us
I keep telling myself these tables and diagrams are just to help me make, but that was four to five iterations (and as many hours) ago.
Three pieces of printed paper on a desk, with what looks to be a quilt pattern in the making.
November 11, 2025 at 4:25 AM
benmillett.us
<starts walk> Oh, it’s nice out! The sun is shining! Maybe I overdressed!
<reaches midpoint, turns around to go back> Oh snap. The wind was at my back that whole time. Good thing the sun is out.
Weather report, 26 deg Farenheit, with a wind chill of 7 deg Farenheit
November 9, 2025 at 4:52 PM
benmillett.us
In addition to the thread collection and needle minder, I’ve added these two zines to my online shop. (Pre-2022 Ben would not believe such hand work items are real.)

benmillett.us/shop/p/zine-...
benmillett.us/shop/p/zine-...
Two zines on offer: Quilted Grotesk and Quilted Grotesk Micro.
November 5, 2025 at 9:42 PM
benmillett.us
Hey! It’s November. Do you have your Thanksgiving Dinner (Quilt) ready?

benmillett.us/shop/p/thank...
A wall quilt with fabric representing the colors of Thanksgiving dinner foods.
November 2, 2025 at 12:13 AM
benmillett.us
But this bathroom!!!! Amazing.
A green and white bathroom with yellow accents.
October 31, 2025 at 8:58 PM
benmillett.us
I finally watched The Shining today. Yes, THAT carpet is amazing, but how is it that I’ve never seen these other rugs/carpet shared?! They’re as good or better.
Orange, brown, and red hexagons repeat in a carpet A white, red, and orange rug Overlapping squircles of tan and pink against a yellow background Green and purple clamshells in a carpet
October 31, 2025 at 8:57 PM
benmillett.us
Updated to iOS 26.1 RC. This is with the new “Tinted” setting. Still not enough of a change.
It’s been commented on elsewhere, but coming back to 26 after 18 feels like using a kids toy. Everything to interact with is unnecessarily giant. I just hate it all.
October 29, 2025 at 2:35 PM
benmillett.us
Progressed the previous design and now I'm thinking it's not the quilt jacket I want to make. I was reluctant to do a jacket with just stripes, but… I'm feeling this a lot more. #quiltconcouture
Quilted jacket design with eleven stripes of the progress pride flag colors, with white being much bigger at the top.
October 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
benmillett.us
Quick draft of #quiltconcouture 2026. It'll likely evolve. It also doesn't show the plan currently only in my head of hand quilting with @aurifil.bsky.social in 12wt and 28wt.
October 19, 2025 at 2:47 AM
benmillett.us
I've decided I need to figure out how to make a jacket like this one by Loro Piana.
www.bergdorfgoodman.com/p/loro-piana...
October 19, 2025 at 1:11 AM
benmillett.us
Why yes, these four are definitely how I picture rarebit and I definitely want to have one of each of these.
A screenshot with three photos of supposed rarebit. One looks like weird poached eggs (and also has a whole ass bouquet as a garnish). One looks like grape leaf things with pico de gallo. A third looks like pepto bismal poured over chicken fingers. Appetizing!
October 13, 2025 at 9:26 PM
benmillett.us
Details in ALT
2/2
A stone statue on a wood pedestal John Bradley Storrs, American, 1885-1956 L'HOMME NU (NUDE MAN) 1919 Composite stone Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collection; Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., 1966.3 Storr's depiction of a male nude is influenced by the trends toward abstraction and machine-inspired forms that characterized modernist sculpture in the early decades of the twentieth century. This simplified figure emphasizes the experience of volume, mass, and line that would become central to Stor's practice as he transitioned to sculpting entirely abstract skyscraper-like forms over the course of the ensuing decade. Another view of a stone statue on a wood pedestal John Bradley Storrs, American, 1885-1956 L'HOMME NU (NUDE MAN) 1919 Composite stone Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collection; Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., 1966.3 Storr's depiction of a male nude is influenced by the trends toward abstraction and machine-inspired forms that characterized modernist sculpture in the early decades of the twentieth century. This simplified figure emphasizes the experience of volume, mass, and line that would become central to Stor's practice as he transitioned to sculpting entirely abstract skyscraper-like forms over the course of the ensuing decade. Closer view of a stone statue on a wood pedestal John Bradley Storrs, American, 1885-1956 L'HOMME NU (NUDE MAN) 1919 Composite stone Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collection; Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., 1966.3 Storr's depiction of a male nude is influenced by the trends toward abstraction and machine-inspired forms that characterized modernist sculpture in the early decades of the twentieth century. This simplified figure emphasizes the experience of volume, mass, and line that would become central to Stor's practice as he transitioned to sculpting entirely abstract skyscraper-like forms over the course of the ensuing decade.
October 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
benmillett.us
These pieces at the Des Moines Art Center literally stopped me in my tracks yesterday. Breathtaking.

Details in ALT
1/2
Large canvas with black, green, yellow, lavender, cantaloupe paint. Friedel Dzubas American, 1915 -1994 MOUNTAINSIDE 1966 Acrylic and magna on canvas Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1985.6 In Dzubas's monumental painting, a field of black adjoins swathes of bright color. The artist painted these shapes using a technique called "scrubbing," where a stiff dry brush pulls wet paint over the surface of a canvas treated with gesso, a priming layer that keeps paint from absorbing into the canvas. The result is overlapping layers of opaque paint. This work was painted on the floor in a horizontal orientation, but the artist chose to display it vertically on the wall, creating a dramatic sensation of scale as the work looms above the viewer. A closeup of a canvas with black, green, yellow, lavender, cantaloupe paint. Friedel Dzubas American, 1915 -1994 MOUNTAINSIDE 1966 Acrylic and magna on canvas Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1985.6 In Dzubas's monumental painting, a field of black adjoins swathes of bright color. The artist painted these shapes using a technique called "scrubbing," where a stiff dry brush pulls wet paint over the surface of a canvas treated with gesso, a priming layer that keeps paint from absorbing into the canvas. The result is overlapping layers of opaque paint. This work was painted on the floor in a horizontal orientation, but the artist chose to display it vertically on the wall, creating a dramatic sensation of scale as the work looms above the viewer.
October 11, 2025 at 5:18 PM
benmillett.us
Sharing my annual reminder on this National Coming Out Day. #NCOD
On a rainbow background is this text: It's National Coming Out Day today. Almost every day presents the opportunity to "come out" to someone. Sometimes it's only to yourself. Even using the phrase "my boyfriend" or "my girlfriend" once in a single conversation can be both simple and gargantuan, paralyzing and liberating. So whether you use this nationally recognized day to bust out, shattering the door behind you, or to open the door a crack, allowing yourself a few solitary rays of light to test how welcoming they might be, know that you are worthy of being who you are. To our allies, thank you for being there for us, on this day and every day. It's your support that allows us to even consider presenting our full selves.
October 11, 2025 at 1:43 PM
benmillett.us
What’s an image you can hear?
A scene of dialogue: Peter: We will dismiss you without further argument. Lucifer: Aah! You have looked over my kingdom, and my greatness and glory. Now you want to take possession of the whole of it. (Lucifer turns, and stares into the camera.) I have a word to say concerning these people. If they do not walk up to every covenant they make at these altars in this temple this day, they will be in my power!
October 10, 2025 at 7:04 PM
benmillett.us
Our various coneflowers have started flowering again, which means flowers for the table again.
Three cone flowers (dark pink, orange yellow, and yellow) in a small glass vase. There are also three grass flower stems and a penstemon flower stem in the vase.
October 10, 2025 at 5:20 PM
benmillett.us
In the beta for iOS 26.1, the "Stop" for an alarm now requires sliding when on the lockscreen. Hell to the no. Am I in the minority of people who basically never use snooze and only use stop? Don't penalize me for everyone else missing the snooze.
October 7, 2025 at 5:48 PM
benmillett.us
If you’re in Ames this month, stop by the Public Library! I have four quilts on display in conjunction with Ames’s Pride celebrations this coming weekend. (I was surprised by the sloped floor, which I incorporated to hang the quilts going upwards at a similar angle.)
Four quilts of rainbow colors against a grey wall. Four quilts of rainbow colors against a grey wall, with the camera at a slight angle. A view of four quilts of rainbow colors against a grey wall, from outside the library through the windows
October 6, 2025 at 11:36 PM
benmillett.us
On my walk this morning, I passed this tree with really weird leaves in the uppermost branch. They weren’t green and they were making a ton of noise. Strange.
A tree with a dead branch. But the dead branch appears to still have foliage. Maybe it’s fowliage?
October 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
benmillett.us
I won’t be at First Friday, but I’ve got Main Character Energy up any way. ALSO: be sure to make a ‘zine with @catrocketship.bsky.social at those tables in the background (second floor atrium)!!!
A hallway with light grey walls. A sign says “ben millett”. There are four green quilts on the wall.
September 30, 2025 at 8:24 PM
benmillett.us
I’m definitely making more Niçoise Toast next summer when the tomatoes are great. Super easy and really tasty.

www.bonappetit.com/recipe/nicoi...
Toast with tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, olives, herbs. Next to asparagus. All on a white plate on a picnic table.
September 29, 2025 at 10:39 PM