Moon & Stars

Moon & Stars (full)
Moon & Stars (full)

Moon & Stars is an old, old project. I started it after my mom gave me a FQ pack of the moon and stars fabrics in the middle. I wanted to show them off, so I made this kind of window scene with very little piecing.

It was in the same bag as Kissy Fish, except wadded up at the bottom. Who knows what I was thinking? Some of my bags tend to turn into dumping grounds. I pulled it out last week when I, once again, needed a hand project for a serious amount of TV watching. I don’t remember when I last worked on it or when I started it, but it had to be around the time I was working on the Sampler, because, I am apparently, hand quilting it.I don’t do much hand quilting anymore with regular quilting thread.

Moon & Stars (detail)
Moon & Stars (detail)

The thread for the middle is really thin – or seems thin – and I couldn’t find it in the depths of the bag. It appeared that I was pretty much done with the hand quilting of the middle, so I took some of the Laura Wasilowski hand dyed thread and worked on quilting the border.

I may add some machine quilting to it as I like my quilts quilted close together and there is only a very small chance that I will hand quilt it as close together as I like it.

Bye Bye House & Garden!

House & Garden, finished May 16, 2009

House & Garden, finished May 16, 2009

A friend and former colleague, Sheila, emailed me in her capacity as secretary for the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California Foundation and asked me if I might have a piece to donate for the silent auction at their annual gala, which was held yesterday at the Green Room in San Francisco. A large number of attorneys and other professionals will attend and bid on various items and services at the silent auction. Sheila told me that the items and services were donated by prominent individuals and businesses. All proceeds raised fund public interest fellowships for Bay Area law students.

While I don’t really think that the world needs more lawyers, I do think that scholarships are important and it isn’t up to me to decide how people spend their lives. It also made me feel good to be considered a “prominent individual.” It will be interesting to see where House and Garden goes on its journey.

Creative Prompt #56: Pair

Pair of pants

pair of glasses

matched set

married pair

two turtle doves

verb pairs

twisted pair

Au pair

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

pair of trousers

Double Wedding Ring

No, this is not another insane project of mine. The Pineapple is my insane project and I am not starting another until that piece is done.

Mom's DWR
Mom's DWR

A few weeks ago my mom and I went to the DeYoung to see the Amish Abstractions Exhibit, as you might remember. In that exhibit was a Double Wedding Ring quilt. My mom has been working on a DWR for awhile. She is a really good seamstress and the arcs, etc don’t bother her. She is also fearless. She was going to give it to someone and then decided it was too much work for that particular recipient. When I saw the DWR I asked her about hers and we decided that hers might be about the size of the one in the exhibit. She was under the impression that she needed to make 190 arcs or some such crazy number. I asked her to bring the pieces over.

Mom's DWR (other side)
Mom's DWR (other side)

A few days later she brought them over and we laid them out on my living room floor to see the approximate size. I know the photos are not the best, but they were hard to photograph given the angle of my living room. You can kind of see the curves in the way we laid out the pieces.

Mom's DWR detail
Mom's DWR detail

As you can see from the photo (above) she is using foundation piecing. She is having some challenges:

  1. She recently gave away all of her scraps in a fit of cleaning. Now I get to cut scraps for her.
  2. She was having a hard time visualizing the size. She doesn’t have a design wall (or a wall big enough to hang a design wall) so she uses my living room floor as her design wall.

Fortunately, she was able to see the size when she laid it out while having the quilt from the exhibit in her mind. I think she is going to finish the arcs that she has and then start putting it together.

Sketching #50

When I took art classes in college I always enjoyed contour drawing.  Contour drawing is where you look at the object you are drawing and NOT at your paper.

I got quite good at it and decided that I would use that technique for my Inspiration drawing. It took me awhile to actually get to it and when I finally did I just sat down and drew with what I had – no fancy drawing book or paper or pen. I used the following two photos as the basis for my inspiration drawings.

Crate & Barrel Regent Serveware
Crate & Barrel Regent Serveware

Dishes are below:

Crate & Barrel Regent Place Setting
Crate & Barrel Regent Place Setting

And here are the contour drawings:

Serveware:

Serveware Contour Drawing
Serveware Contour Drawing

I left a little of the notebook page in when I cropped the picture so you could see that I just used my working journal; I didn’t use anything special. I did the drawing at a Starbuck’s using a picture on my phone and the pen I had in my purse.

Here is the place setting:

Place Setting Contour Drawing
Place Setting Contour Drawing

This one came out much better. I am out of practice using this technique. One of the things I like about contour drawing is the movement you get in the drawing.

Help Ricky Tims Find Bohemian Rhapsody

Update: Bohemian Rhapsody is found, apparently thanks to the outcry and connections of quiltmakers! Nice work, everyone!
I am not a member of the Quilt Show and I know only peripherally about Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson (don’t dislike them, BTW). I am, however, generally annoyed with airlines and air travel and United Airlines in particular.

I heard from Douglas Eagleson of Kona Bay that Ricky lost his Bohemian Rhapsody quilt due to UA baggage error. It is described in Ricky’s blog post. United Airlines policy about customer service seems to be non existent.

I was going to tell Ricky to have his local TV station get on board and do an investigation, but I am prevented from leaving a comment on his blog since I am not a member. I could join, but am just too lazy.

One of Libby Lehman’s quilts was in the bag as well. I think that United has a fee per bag, so it makes me wonder what passengers are paying for if not to keep their bags secure.

Keep your eye out. it may show up online

clipped from www.thequiltshow.com

Is Bohemian Rhapsody Lost Forever?
February 22, 2010

2539_bohemian_rhapsodyfull.jpg
I have returned from the most fantastic trip to Dubai only to have the joy and excitement overshadowed by the fact that United Airlines has lost one of my bags. What was inside? Along with the unique and wonderful items I obtained in Dubai was my quilt, Bohemian Rhapsody.
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Knitted Scarf Complete!

Knitted Scarf: complete
Knitted Scarf: complete

When we went to the North Coast, I also brought along this scarf, which I discussed before. I only had a few rows to knit before I was ready to bind it off.

I knitted a few rows and started to bind it off. When I had about 10 more stitches to bind off, I realized that I didn’t have enough of a tail to finishing the binding off. I was in a patient mood, so I unbound what I had done and unknitted a row, then bound the scarf off.

This was a really good reminding experience. I have knitted a few things and once I get going, I am ok. I liked the stitch, especially since the edges don’t curl. It is no great masterpiece, but I enjoyed working on it.

I didn’t measure it, but you can see the approximate length (25″??) because the charm pack is 5×5″.

I would like to get more yarn and make another scarf. I don’t think this one is long enough, so perhaps I will use 2 skeins next time. Perhaps I have a knitting needles roll in my future?

Thanks to Michele and Ginny for getting me going on this project.

More Tarts

I finally buckled down this past weekend and got some of my ‘rote’ sewing out of the way. Rote sewing is stuff like making backs, putting on bindings, etc. I usually consider it to be stuff that I have to do at the machine, but isn’t very creative. I often have a hard time getting started on it. The good thing about rote sewing is that it usually goes fast once I buckle down and I can often cross a lot of tasks off my list after a rote sewing weekend.

Fluttering Hearts Test
Fluttering Hearts Test

This time I worked on backs and tossed the Fluttering Hearts into the mix. Above you can me trying out the Fluttering Hearts. I have had 3 on the piece on my design wall since November or December. I really wanted some at the top and decided that Saturday would be  good day to try it out.

Fluttering Hearts Appliqued
Fluttering Hearts Appliqued

I spent a lot of time sewing carefully around the hearts with the satin stitch. I am out of the thin Maderia embroidery thread so I used a spool of Robison-Anton that seemed relatively new. I love the sheen of that thread. It is also thick like quilting thread, so the satin stitch looks pretty full on the hearts.

Tarts with Fluttering Hearts
Tarts with Fluttering Hearts

Above is the Tarts with the Fluttering Hearts appliqued. I thought I would be done, but I am thinking that I need to applique’ something to the tea kettle (lower left), some steam or stars to the Chocolate Pot, like I showed in this post.

I think I might be getting too mired in the layering thing that is going on in my head. I have to remember that I put the label on the back and it says I finished this quilt in 2010, so I have to finish it!

Tarts Back
Tarts Back

Here is the Tarts back, another bit of rote sewing from the past weekend. It went together really fast! I was shocked. I guess I really do need to finish this quilt!

Give me your opinions about more bits of applique’ of it you think I should just wait to embellish with buttons and beads and embroidery.

Beach Town Finished!

Beach Town Front
Beach Town Front

Yes, boys and girls, I finally finished Beach Town. You can read about starting it in the post about the Pamela Allen class from last year. I liked looking at the piece in that post (one of the things I LOVE about blogging!), because I could see the differences including all of the handwork I have added.

Beach Town Back
Beach Town Back

I made a smaller version of the Robbi Joy Eklow sleeve (from her book Free Expression) for this piece. I don’t know if it will ever be hung using a rod, but it is ready if someone wants to hang it that way.

One of the things I need to think through when I use this technique in the future is the back and the label. I like to include the label as a part of the back. As you may have noticed, I often piece the back and include the label in that piecing. This allows me (or my quilter) to quilt over the label so that it cannot be removed if the quilt is stolen. Jill, one of the creative prompt participants, talks about this in her recent blog post.

Another reason I piece the back is that I have the fabric, so I might as well use it.

Smaller quilts, and particularly this Pamelala technique are free form and quick. The maker usually lays down the back and batting first with no opportunity to piece the back or make a label. When I take a Pamela Allen class again, perhaps I should just put down the batting and work on the back later?

Creative Prompt #55: See

See’s candy

Did you see it?

Seeing eye dog

What do you see?

See Saw

Seen and not heard

Monkey See Monkey Do

“I can see clearly now the rain has gone…”

Holy See

See through

The world as I see it

see also (see reference)

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

North Coast Quilt Shops

We spent the weekend on the North Coast. I wasn’t excited about going, but, for various reasons, agreed and was glad I did. The North Coast is beautiful and I found as the car left the City behind and my eyes took in more green than concrete and metal, I felt calmer and more relaxed than I had in awhile.

To prepare for the trip, I looked up quilt shops in the area and came up with four. On the way up, we also saw a shop in Laytonville called Fat Quail Quilts that got good reviews from the other shop owners, but I wasn’t able to stop.

Fabrics from North Coast Weekend
Fabrics from North Coast Weekend

We did stop at Kim’s Fortuna Fabric and Crafts, Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop in Ferndale, Scottie Dog Quilts and Ocean Wave Quilts, both in Eureka. The first shop I visited was Kim’s Fortuna Fabric and Crafts. It is in a strip mall (a nice one) off of Rohnerville Road and Main Street right as Main Street turns into Fortuna Blvd. I am telling you this because I had to call since I couldn’t find it by driving up and down Main Street.

It is a nice store with a good selection of fabrics at about $8.99 a yard. the woman behind the counter was helpful and friendly. They also have yarn and other craft supplies. there was a Tumbling Block class going on while I was there and the teacher has quite a selection of classes going on during the next few months. I bought 3 flannels I like to use to make some receiving blankets (top 3 fabrics, above).

Food Fabrics for Mom
Food Fabrics for Mom

I bought some food  fabrics for my mom for one of her quilts and a couple of dots for myself. I saw a pink and white flower print that went with a black and white and a stripe. The three of them would have made a fabulous Anna Maria Multi-tasker tote, but I resisted. I have a full box of tote bag fabrics and need to make a few tote bags before I buy more fabric.

Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Ferndale Victorian
Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop
Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop

Famous last words, however, after I stopped in at Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop in Ferndale. Ferndale is a cute little town off the beaten path with gorgeous buildings on its Victorian Main Street. Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop had a very chatty man sitting behind the counter when I walked in. He turned out to be the owner’s husband. They had fabulous fabrics and I succumbed, including two tote bag fabrics.

Kaffe Fassett tote fabric
Kaffe Fassett tote fabric
Kaffe Fassett tote fabric + inside dots
Kaffe Fassett tote fabric + inside dots

The store was really bright and cheerful and I think that was part of the attraction. I think it was my favorite quilt of the four I visited. The 2 tote bag fabrics are Kaffe Fassett prints. I also bought some dots, of course. The one above will go on the inside or the pocket panels. Not sure what I will use for the inside, perhaps a black & white print? I have plenty already.

After Ferndale we went up to Eureka to see Scottie Dog and Ocean Waves. Scottie Dog Quilts was a nice shop as well. I am amazed at what quilt shop owners can cram into a small space. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t feel crowded in Scottie Dog, but it wasn’t Best Buy either. I bought more dots and a conversational on turquoise with coffee cups that I want to use on the back of the Tarts (see above on the left, 4th from the top).

Scottie Dog Quilts had 2 diamond quilts hanging on their wall. I asked if they had the ruler or template they used to make it and the shopkeeper said that they used the Accucut. I never considered that machine as an option for me, but that offhand comment opened up a whole new world for me. Cutting diamonds for the FOTY 2010 would be absolutely no problem, however. Hhmm. I wouldn’t buy that machine just to make one quilt, but I will look around and see if a shop has it and I could try it. I have a lot of questions:

  • do they have the sized diamonds I have started to cut?
  • can you put one layer of fabric and have it cut?
  • how large of a piece of fabric can you put in, e.g. can I cut a 2×6″ piece of fabric and cut the diamond from that or does the piece have to be larger?

Finally, we went to the Ocean Waves Quilt Shop. It is housed in an old Victorian house, which made it adorable, but also a bit dark. I bought a pack of charm squares and another food FQ for mom. I think I was tired of fabric shopping by then.

I find it quite hilarious to listen to what the quilt ladies talk about while I am shopping. In my travels this weekend, I heard about the tribulations of the world including prescription drug addiction, surgery, a sister determined to have 4-6 children though she doesn’t have the money to raise them and a multitude of Valentine’s Day anecdotes.

If you spend any time up on the North Coast, you won’t have to worry about a shortage of  fabric.

History of the Janome Company

I was referred to this site from somewhere and found the brief history of the company that makes my machine to be really interesting. I especially like the “Eye of the Snake” part.

I also know, now, why I was so confused when I bought my machine about whether I had a New Home or a Janome – that was they year they officially changed the name! Yes, I have had my machine for 15 years.

Finally, the article gives a little teaser about what is to come in Janome machines.

clipped from www.janome.com
150 Years Of Janome Sewing
Craftsmanship Born In The Days Of Horse And Buggy Leads The Way In The Computer Age
In 1860 technology was on the verge of opening up huge new possibilities to the American way of life. Already, a new kind of high speed sailing ship called the clipper could cross the Atlantic in less than 14 days. An instantaneous form of communication called the telegraph was about to cross the U.S. continent. And an amazing device called the home sewing machine was allowing Americans to sew clothes for their families at a huge savings in time–a shirt that took 14 hours to sew by hand could be sewn by machine in 1.5 hours.
Because the shape of these bobbins reminded people of a snake’s eye, the company was given the new name of Janome, which means “eye of the snake” in Japanese.
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Modern Quilt Guild

I found this guild via FB. I liked the site, because it pointed me right away to a local group. The local group has a Ning with photos, discussions. I joined right away and found that people are trying to organize meetings in my area. YAY!

Check out the site and see if there is a group in your area.

clipped from themodernquiltguild.com

Just another WordPress.com weblog

Just another WordPress.com weblog

Member Guild Links – Sign up on their page if you’d like to join!

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Minor Detail

Pencil Roll Fabrics
Pencil Roll Fabrics

I am thinking of using this combination of fabrics for my next pencil roll. I will center the main part of the back around those two feathers and the teal and chocolate will be the inside and the pocket piece. I thought I would start this the first weekend in Feb, but kind of tanked and didn’t do it.

The upholstery fabric is another FabMo fabric. I already pried off the tags and removed the staples.