WIP Wednesday

" Sunshine Pier" 12 x 12, mixed media

What have I been doing? This weekend I refinished a new wooden table for my sewing room. In a perfect world, I would have been able to cut a hole in it and make a place for my machine to drop in. Unfortunately, Jerry is not handy with this sort of thing and neither am I, so I will have to wait until I get someone else to do it. In the meantime, it's still an improvement.

I spent some time painting, thread sketching, and fusing. I made lots of things and ended up liking this one. "Sunshine Pier" was created by first thread sketching on a fabric "sandwich", followed by painting and fusing. I used Tsukineko inks at first, including the technique of blending them with aloe vera gel. I just couldn't get them bright enough, so I went back in with dye paint and acryllic. After all the paint was dry, I still wasn't happy with it, so I added fused pieces. This is what I love about working improvisationally. You can always do something else. Of course, sometimes you go too far and have to start over, but that's ok too.
I am really happy with this one. I got the watercolor look where I wanted it, the brightness of more opaque paint where I wanted it, and the solid shapes to help the design where I wanted them. Yes! I will be using this approach again.

And here is Jerry's quilt, coming along. I got rid of the angel fish blocks, increased the number of light blocks, and found some great "coral" fabric to make more of the alternating nine patches. The border will be next. I don't know how well the colors are coming across, but they are just wonderful "in person", and I am happy with my progress.

WIP Wednesday

Here is the quilt I am making for DH Jerry in progress. I have about half of the blocks finished. He loves scuba diving and taking underwater film. He also sails, but once I started auditioning fabrics I decided to stick to the underwater theme.

I don't have quite enough of that batik with blue fish, so I am going back to the batik stash to look for something else. I would like to find something that looks like coral or seaweed. It could still change, but I've pretty much settled on the nine patch and snowball blocks. They look like little windows into the sea, at least that's what I'm after. Those angel fish are looking kind of like "op art", do I like them? Not sure.

I've made lots of quilts for everyone else, but somehow never one for him. His birthday is next month, so I hope he likes it. Don't worry, he doesn't read my blog, it will still be a surprise. He's also kind of oblivious to what is going on in my studio, he just knows I spend a lot of my free time in there.

Nice and Neat

Well, it probably won't last, but I have the sewing studio nice and neat once again. I went through almost every bin of fabric I have and (gasp!) gave some of it away. My SIL Diane is selling on ebay to raise money to participate in the breast cancer 3 day walk. She will also be having a garage sale, so I have had lots of motivation to clean out closets as well. It feels great to be organized, even if I know it's only temporary.

I was happy to get my cutting table raised to counter height by adding some PVC pipe to the legs. Works great, and no more back strain. I view my current space as temporary since I will move to a larger room once our son moves out again. I want to plan it thoroughly and look into a better fabric storage system as well as better furniture

Check these out.
You Tubes for Book People:

Introducing the Book

Banned Books

Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian's Journal

Read about the war from the perspective of someone who is still trying to live and work there.

WIP Wednesday

"Blue Tulips in the Garden of Evening", handpainted silk and commercial cotton.

Nikki decided she needed to be in the picture. She is my sweet and quirky little border collie, thirteen years old this year. I put area rugs in my sewing room so she would have better footing. Actually, we have put rugs all over the house, even where the placement looks odd. She just can't keep her balance on the slippery wood floors anymore.

Here is a closer look. Handpainting silk was a new experience for me. (I used silk charmeuse from Dharma and the Dharma Pigment dye paints. There is also a little Tsukineko ink used in drawing.) I love the colors, the shimmer, the stitching. I am using lots of delicious hand-dyed embroidery threads and perle cotton to make very big textural stitches. Next time I paint silk, I want to try the "resist" and work for a better focal point and more control. I'm definitely having fun.

My donation kid's quilt is almost together but I haven't worked on the pineapple blocks again since last week. I started a new gift quilt for Jerry that features lots of tropical fish and sailboats since his favorite leisure time activities are scuba diving and sailing. It will be a simple "nine patch and snowball" quilt that showcases the fabrics. I would like to give it to him during his birthday month (March), but it will be a nice surprise any time he gets it. I have a trunk full of quilts in the family room that we all use to wrap up in when we watch TV, but I still think it will be nice to make one that is just for him.

Between work, water aerobics, and the daily household stuff, there are just not enough hours in the day. Good thing I am needing less sleep as I get older.

WIP Wednesday

What have I been doing?I started out with a little fabric painting. I used Hoffman PFD cotton and Dharma Pigment Dye paint. This was my first time using this particular paint, and I found I liked the intensity better if I diluted it very little or not at all. It did tend to make the finished fabric a little stiff but not all that different from a batik.

I used my painted fabric to make the little piece below. I had a gorgeous cobalt blue leaf print in the stash, so I used that too. It added the just the right contrast and intensity I wanted.

Starting with the "ladder" structure of horizontals and verticals, I then sliced, repieced , and added until I was happy. I have started doing thread work but there will be a lot more before I am through. This is a little hard to needle by hand, so I may switch to bobbin work since I want to use the thick bold embroidery threads. It's kind of a pain to wind bobbins by hand, but I have had good results in the past doing it this way.

Oh, and I made a couple more pineapple blocks, so you can see what I mean about the secondary pattern. I am not sure how big this piece is going to be yet, and I am considering adding blue and cheddar blocks as well. We'll just have to wait and see.

Happy quilting everyone!

WIP Wednesday

Here is the piece I showed you on Monday. I am adding big bright stitches using the fabulous hand dyed embroidery thread from Art Fabrik. I flipped it upside down and like it better this way.

Here is one I started yesterday, but besides the quilting there will not be a lot more to it. I call it "Waiting for the Purple Moon." I think its kind of retro 70s. Something about that that fabric in the background reminds me of a lava lamp.

And here are the big bright blocks for the kids quilt I will be donating. I bought some great neon bright yellow thread at Superior Threads to use in quilting this, unless of course I hand it off to my longarm friend to do. I will still have it done it yellow thread, but it might not be as bright.

And, of course the red and cheddar pineapple blocks which I showed you Monday. I haven't worked on them again yet, but I will. Do you think I have enough things going at once? Maybe I should start something else.

Road To California

Well, I'm back. We had a great time at Road to California, lots of beautiful quilts to see and fun classes to take. I must really be getting to be an old lady because I am exhausted from not being able to sleep well away from home. I had to go right back to work today, too. Have to pay for these little junkets and shopping sprees somehow.

The little quilt above is something I made in Laura Wasilowski's class. It started with the Ladder motif I've been working with and morphed into a garden trellis when I started adding shapes. I call it "Pea Pods in the Garden". I'm thinking I may have been a little enthusiastic in using my new toy, the pinking edge rotary cutter. I have not decided whether I'll do a fused binding or just back and turn it with an "escape hatch" finish.

I enjoyed Laura's class a lot, she is a good teacher, easy to be around and has a great sense of humor. Not a bad singing voice either. I also had the good fortune to meet Melody Johnson of Fibermania fame. She told me I looked familiar...it was from my little blog picture. I probably sounded like a stalker when I gushed about how much I admire her work.

Here is a little project I started using some of the new fabric I bought at Road. These are antique reproduction reds and cheddars, which I love. I always wanted to do a quilt in these colors. I think it's funny that they are actually old fashioned fabrics when they have so much zing. I will say one thing about making these blocks, they stretch like crazy if you aren't really careful. I think that's why it's so common to paper piece them (these are not). I only have two blocks done, but you can see that it will have a nice secondary pattern. It will be a small quilt or a table runner, haven't decided yet.

I love trips, but it's nice to be home.

Brr

Environmental sculpture by Andy Goldsworthy.

That ball of ice seemed appropriate, considering how unusually COLD it is here in California lately. At least we aren't buried in snow or crippled by ice storms, but I fear for the orange trees and the flowers.

I had a great weekend with the quilting friends but don't have a lot of pictures this time around. We worked out the details for the year, where to meet, who will make what quilt for whom etc. Not a lot of "sharing" of completed quilts yet. As the year goes on there will be more of those.

I worked on my "kid's quilt" and am almost finished . I like to take a simple project to sewing group because there is so much talking going on. I love the social aspect, but it is not a time for something requiring a lot of concentration, at least not for me. I didn't get a chance to take and download any pictures for WIP Wednesday.

I am not yet finished with my "ladder piece". I'm now thinking it might need to be part of something larger, in which case it will no longer qualify for the Quilt Studio 12 x 12 challenge. We'll see. I will post here on the blog whenever it is finished.

I will be away from blogging for a while, maybe a week? I'll try to post next week on Wed. Happy quilting everyone.

Photos At Last

Well, it's been a bit of a frustrating time, but I finally got to where I can post photos again with Blogger. I had to get rid of everything I had updated or installed before the glitch. This included Picasa, some Google stuff and an updated version of IE. From talking with others, I've learned that the new version of IE is a troublemaker and is to be avoided.
On top of that, as Jane Ann pointed out, Picasa does not play well with the new Blogger.
Ok, now to repost my WIP Wednesday.

This is the sketch I have chosen for my first new piece in the "ladder" series. More about that later.


Here is the start of the ladder piece, to be revealed when it is my turn at the Quilt Studio next week. If you haven't visited yet, go on over and see what people have been posting.

Here are the bright fabrics I have been auditioning for my kid's quilt donation for the 40 Quilt Service Project. I found some very cute "robot" fabric on the sale table at one of my favorite quilt shops and got enough for backing and some to use in the quilt. I have already "fussy cut" all the robot squares, and my happy little robots will be framed in a variety of bright fabrics.

I am delighted to be starting a three day weekend. Even better, I am going to a sewing marathon tonight with my quilting buddies. We have our meals and contributions all planned and some of us are taking along our aero beds to spend the night. We had a blast when we did this last summer, so I am looking forward to it.

Sorry about the photos!(or lack of them)

Very early this morning when I tried to post, Blogger (new) would not let me load photos, so I tried with Picassa. At the time, when I viewed my blog I could see the photos. So...it is a mystery to me why they don't show up now!
I am at work all day and having guests at home this evening, but I will try again to load the photos. Thanks for letting me know.

Valentines for Wounded Soldiers

I forgot to include this in my last post, but if you would like a quick way to show your support for wounded soldiers, here is a link for a project to send them valentines. This blog shows lots of great valentine examples, and both sites give some instructions for making the cards.

WIP Wednesday

Wednesday already? Here is my WIP for this week, actually on the right day for once. This is a table runner I started after Christmas, and it will be a gift for one of my sister-in-laws. She is a techno-phobe and does not even read her email, much less my blog, so I am safe to post pictures here. I love her, but I wish she would join us in the twenty-first century.

I am still working out how to complete this. I thought about a circular vine, I want to leave room in the center for a vase or candle centerpiece. I even thought about including one in the gift, so if I bought it first I could design around it. As you can probably tell, this is machine applique.

On the "art" side, I have been sketching for my ladder series. The 12th will be here before you know it, and I hope I have something to show.

Happy New Year!

Dan Olfe, Stir It Up

Patty Hawkins, The Light of Day (Diptych)2005,

36" x 39", 48" x 39"Pieced and fused

It's been a busy few days since I last blogged, more family gatherings, a visit to my neice's new house, a surprise anniversary party (for someone else). House cleaning and projects still in progress. Party shopping at Costco, taking down Christmas decorations, a little time (not enough) spent sewing.

The very best day, though, was Saturday when I went up to the Oceanside Museum of Art with Diane and saw Quilt Visions 2006.

We were both just blown away by the wonderful art we saw. To name just a few: Katie Pasquini Masopust , Susan Shie, Joan Shulze, Pam RuBert, Patty Hawkins, Laura Fogg. Each piece was intense in its own way and totally amazing. The gallery space has wonderful light and they did a great job with the installation. I bought the catalog, which is beautifully done and worth owning. I had seen the work of some of the artists online, but the "in person" experience is just so much more. When you see such marvellous work, you are simultaneously inspired and humbled.

The day was sunny and cool with a brilliantly blue sky. We walked down to the pier and enjoyed the expansive view of the ocean while we waited to be seated for lunch at Ruby's. We sat where we still had a wonderful view, and happily chatted about art and life in general. Then we headed off for a little fabric shopping and finally ended our day back at her house to do a little sewing and enjoy some homemade chilli. It was a nearly perfect day.

Today is New Year's day and it's inevitable that we look back and take stock, and look forward and make plans. The goals I set for last year have seen some progress, although not as much as I would have liked.

They are the same ones I will set for next year: improve my fitness and health, develop my art, spend time with family and friends, and live in awareness and gratitude. That last part is most important, I think. This year, even more than most, made me very aware of how precious life is and how much I have to be grateful for.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866- 1944

We've all seen this one.

Farbstudie Quadrate, c.1913

How about these?

Yellow, Red, Blue 1925; Oil on canvas, 127x200cm; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Fragment 2 for Composition VII 1913 (180 Kb); Oil on canvas, 87.5 x 99.5 cm (34 1/2 x 39 1/4 in); Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY

Don't you love blogs? We can go from the mundane (yesterday's post) to the sublime (today's art). I've been meaning to get back to a regularly scheduled "artist" post but I've just been overwhelmed with...well, the mundane. You may already be very familiar with this artist's work, but treat yourself to a little visual exploration here.

WIP Wednesday, on Thursday

Did you ever hear the expression "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?" Well, even if that's true, I still try to do it now and then. The house we live in is nearly as old as I am, and while it has some architectural charm (beautiful beam ceilings, stone fireplace, hardwood floors), the bathrooms leave much to be desired. Last year we made a brief excursion into the idea of bathroom remodeling, but we never got past the showroom.

This particular bathroom is the victim of an 80's remodel and it features that green that was so popular for a while and now you can't find anywhere. I spent yesterday scrubbing, arranging, sewing curtains, and even painting grout. Yes, you read that right. The previous owner had not properly sealed the grout in the tile on the floor, and it has badly discolored. No cleaner works to make it look other than dingy, so I hauled out my white acrylic paint and a small brush and painted the grout. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I made a new fabric liner for the cupboard, and will make a valance in the same fabric. I am thinking I will just make it reversible and see how it looks (check vs. multi). I want to paint the walls to tone down that green, but I won't have time to get it done before we entertain a group from Jerry's office next weekend. We will have to serve really great food and lots of drinks so they don't notice our ugly bathrooms.

A New Christmas Ornament and a New Toy

We had a lovely Christmas, first the big family party, then our small family alone together. Jerry and Andy seemed to like the clothes and treats I got for them, and I loved my new IPod Nano and speaker set. This would be my SECOND IPod since I fried the first one I got last Christmas. All I can say about that is just don't throw your water bottle and IPod in the gym bag together. Enough said.

The best thing about my new IPod is that it holds twice as much and cost less than the first one. The speaker/ charger is great because I can use it in my sewing room and listen to music. Pretty good sound for something so tiny. Does anyone remember back in the day when BIG speakers were a good thing? Now, its the smaller the better and the sound is still big. Gotta love technology.

We also had a very nice brunch with Jerry's Dad, hosted by his brother Jeff and his wife Barb. All their kids were home and it was great to catch up with everyone. I really enjoy the smaller gatherings of just one or two families at a time because you can catch up better than in the large group. Barb's house was beautifully decorated, she does just enough and not too much. Me, sometimes, more is more and the simplicity of a spare and elegant design eludes me.

The picture ornament (showing me and my son Andy) was a gift from my SIL Diane who hosted the big family party. She had decorated the mantel and surrounding area with pictures of everyone. We all really enjoyed looking at the pictures and we then got to take them home as party favors. It must have taken her days of work, but I love the idea.

Hope you all are enjoying your holidays as much as I am.

Happy Holidays!

These are New Zealand pohutukawa blooms. This tree has abundant red flowers around Christmas time, which is in the New Zealand summer. When we were there a few years ago, we were a little too late to see this tree in its full glory. I thought it would make a nice holiday visual.

Today we are having a huge family Christmas get together. We usually do this within a day or two of the actual holiday, then have our own individual family celebrations. Since we host Thanksgiving, we don't usually do Christmas, so I am relaxed and drinking my coffee and a bit later I will prepare my potluck contribution ( green salad for 50). I try to make it a bit special with a large colorful variety of peppers and greens, slivered almonds and mandarin oranges, but it is still just a salad and pretty easy to prepare. My Christmas shopping is done, and though my sewing room still looks like gift wrap central, all the presents are under the tree and ready to go. Hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday!

WIP MIA

No WIP from me this Wednesday, unless you count the unwrapped Christmas presents stashed in the sewing room. It has been a very busy few days, most of it spent with extended family. Anne's funeral was Saturday and we have had numerous gatherings in the days since, mostly to spend time with the out of town family members, but also to support each other. Despite the sadness of the occasion we have enjoyed being together.

I am having a calmer week at work since most of the students left campus right after finals. It's odd now, a little like a ghost town. Our Christmas vacation starts next week, and I am looking forward to the time off. I actually finished all my "gift" projects, and now I can spend some time doing whatever I want. I ran across these old sketches recently, and I'm thinking of doing something with those. Whatever I choose to work on, it will be great to have some relaxed time without deadlines.