Fabric of the Year 2017 Again

FOTY 2017 - early June 2017
FOTY 2017 – early June 2017

It was the end of April when I last posted an update for FOTY 2017. I am still cutting, but the endless Carpenter’s Wheel and brief detour into designing for FOTY 2016 are just two of the projects that have distracted me.

These fabrics reflect a couple of projects. First, the text prints were cut as I was cutting more squares for the Carpenter’s Wheel. The light blues are for the En Provence Mystery Quilt, clue 3.

I also started cutting for a new project. This is the reimagined Daisy QAL. Yes, my podcast pal, Daisy, is leading a Quilt-A-Long. I wanted to do it, so I bought all of the materials. After looking at the pattern carefully, I decided I didn’t like the alternate block. I looked around to see what I could add that would be interesting, then decided that was stupid. At the same time, I saw the quilt I have been wanting to make at Back Porch Fabrics, Triple Star (n.18/19) by Kim Brackett from Scrap Basket Beauties.

I changed direction. I am using the materials from Daisy’s QAL to make the Triple Star. I know I have a zillion other projects, but I bought the fabric and am cutting it up in between the Carpenter’s Wheel and En Provence.

The fabrics on the bottom row in the FOTY picture above are from Alison Glass’ Sun Prints collection. That brown probably has to go. I cut it up, but find that there is a lot of it and I don’t like it enough to put that much in. I won’t have enough fabrics from the layer cake to make the whole quilt, so I am adding in other fabrics as well, including some Philip Jacobs. I need to make it more cheerful.

The Peacock is Quilted

The Peacock detail
The Peacock detail

Colleen emailed me and told me that The Peacock has been quilted and is ready for me to pick up.

I have to admit that I was kind of wondering where it was, so I was glad to get the email. The feathers look great and I can’t wait to see the rest.

I also can’t wait to finish it and get some fabric usage in the win column.

Creative Spark #13: Get in Your Body

The first thing I noticed about this chapter was the sidebar on the chapter’s image. It says “Phoenix, Arizona yoga teacher Anton Mackey encourages students to turn off their minds and look within by closing their eyes as they practice their yoga: ‘You don’t need to see the pose, you just need to feel it.’ Trust your body to take you where you need to go.” (pg.56).

What I thought it said was that the teacher could teach students to turn off their mind. I got a much more adamant message from the sidebar than what is actually there. I need someone to tell the way to turn off my mind, because when I am not listening to something (usually an audiobook), my mind is reeling. This chapter’s main message is that “…sometimes you just need to get out of your head.” (pg.57). I do need to get out of my head, but I also find that if I let my head roam free for awhile, it goes crazy at first and then settles down to some interesting and, possibly, enlightening commentary.

Some of this chapter is about moving your body. I don’t want to use the word exercise, which has a billion nasty connotations, but moving my body helps my mind. “Regular exercise increases the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain and body.”(pg.57). More blood to the brain means more creativity, right?

The whole package, blood, brain and quietening the mind, is about providing “…space between yourself and your thoughts.”… “For creativity, it is important to turn off the incessant chatter of your mind and to bypass the intellect…” (pg.57) I really believe this. I listen to audiobooks when I am sewing, but more and more I am turning off the story to just be with my fabric. Sometimes I get the monkey mind and incessant intercranial chatter. More and more, I get peace. It is practice.

Is it connected that I exercise regularly (and I am not trying to make anyone who doesn’t move as much as I do feel bad-I am not judging!)? “The mind often seeks the comfort of the rational solution, the safety of habits and the status quo. It’s filled with those dudes that limit us: critic, judge, axman of dreams.”(pg.58). These guys are quieter when I exercise. I don’t always push myself, but I do always get my heart rate up and sweat. The more I do those things, the quieter the monkeys tend to be.

“Creativity comes from innocence, openness, curiosity, and playfulness.” (pg.58) and there are other ways to achieve these things than exercise. Exercise, IMO, is kind of a shortcut. “Your rational mind doesn’t always serve you. It can impede your intuition and the strong messages you are receiving. Learn to turn it off so you can get to the business of tending to your soul,” (pg.58) improving your creative self and being creative more frequently and without fear.

Nota bene: we are working through Carrie Bloomston’s book, The Little Spark. Buy it. Support the artist. There is a lot more to each spark than what I am writing and the original chapters will help you. Go buy Carrie Bloomston’s book, so you get the full benefit of her fabulousness! You can see my book review, which is what started this flight of fancy.

You can find the last spark on the blog a few weeks ago.

Boxcar Tote

Boxcar Tote by Green Bee
Boxcar Tote by Green Bee

Yes, I cut out another tote. Are you screaming at me? 😉

Cutting out and prepping the Poolside Tote at the Scruffy Quilts Sewcial went so well that I decided to repeat the happiness with the Boxcar Tote. There were several factors:

  • I knew I would have very little time over the weekend to sew; AND
  • I actually knew when the Sewcial was
  • not to mention I would miss Sew Day

Also, I need to get this tote done in the next week or so as it is a gift I am giving in the next two weeks.

I bought this pattern on a whim from Hawthorne Threads in April. I liked the shape and thought this would be a great bag for a friend. I have a number of bag patterns waiting to be cut out, so I kind of surprised myself by gathering the materials for this one then finding an opportunity to cut it out relatively quickly considering when I bought it.

Boxcar Tote in pieces
Boxcar Tote in pieces

Again, the Sewcial provided the right kind of space and also a bit of sociability which enabled me to cut out this pattern and prep the pieces for construction.

I am using some cactus fabric I bought plus some of the winnings from the recent BAMaQG meeting.

It wasn’t all peaches and roses as I ran out of the stiffener. Fortunately, oh so fortunately, Scruffy had something similar and I was able to move on. Still, it took me less than 3 hours to cut out and apply the stiffener to the fabric (one side was fusible).

I was annoyed at the pattern, because the designer expected me to cut out square pattern pieces, pin them to fabric and cut the whole mess out. For non-square pattern pieces, I always make a tracing paper pattern, so the original stays pristine. Since these were squares and rectangles, I measured them and cut them out with a rotary cutter, not using a paper pattern. Not sure why the designer didn’t tell me the size of the rectangles. It wasn’t rocket science and seems like a crucial piece of information. I’d like to make another one so I wrote the sizes on the pattern and cut them out with a ruler.

This is a pattern with all squares and rectangles, which means I will have to insert the bottom (a rectangle) into place by matching up corner dots. Not my favorite method of constructing a bottom, but I am reserving judgment. I am thinking that I may make it a little differently the second time around. We’ll see.

I can’t wait to see how this bag comes out.  I really want to work on some bags. I am also curious to see the final size.

Right Hand Corner

I decided to work on the Carpenter’s Wheel and move towards getting the top done. I have spent the past week making background blocks during every spare moment.

The bad part is that I had no time over the weekend to sew. I spent the weekend with DH on #politicalwifery. We didn’t get home until 7pm Sunday after leaving at 11:30am on Saturday. Very limited sewing time. Also, as an added ‘insult,’ we were so busy I didn’t even get to visit any quilt shops.

Still, after working part of Friday, I spent a few hours Friday afternoon adding to the section I finished last weekend (section 3).

I decided I would make the two blocks (far right) to finish section three. Once I did that I decided it would be easier just to add the three background blocks to the bottom of the section, making a giant 9 patch. What you see above is a giant 9 patch and the entire right hand corner of the Carpenter’s Wheel quilt.

Carpenter's Wheel - left hand bottom
Carpenter’s Wheel – left hand bottom

I am using the same technique to finish the left hand side of the quilt. One background block, which is next to the bottom Carpenter’s Wheel, is finished and I have two more to make. The two sections will end up together like:


I know it isn’t ideal but you can sort of get an idea of what it will look like.

26 Projects List – June 2017 Edition

Finished 2017 Quilt Projects

Still none yet. Still sad, though I am getting the Peacock back soon, which after binding, should put me back in the black in terms of fabric usage. I hope.  My fabric used list is still really suffering from frequent travel, tempting new quilt shops and fabulous fabrics.

Finished 2017 Non-Quilt Projects
While quilts are thin on the ground, I have been sewing and I have finished sewing a lot of small projects. I think that trend has mostly ended, but I expect to make a few more small projects this year.

Shockingly, the above along with donation blocks and tops is about 50 yards of fabric this year and I am not in the black in terms of usage.

Doing Good

In Process
The  ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or pretending to stitch. I try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them.

  • Carpenter’s Wheel blocks – I am almost finished putting the blocks together. I had a goal of Friday, but my quilter is going out of town before I can finish the top, back and binding, so I might be stalled again.
  • City Samplerblocks all made. Need to sash the blocks and finish putting the top together. I have the fabric I will use and I have no washed it, so nothing is stopping me from getting going.
  • English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – I am still making stars. I am still using the big stack of fabrics I cut over Thanksgiving to make more stars. This piece is a weird shape otherwise I would just finish it and move on.
  • En Provence – I am well into the third clue clue is finished. I have sewn over 120 blue four patches and have about 40 to go. I have been focusing on the Carpenter’s Wheel, so am stalled on this once again. I am, however, cutting more pieces in between the Carpenter’s Wheel.
  • FOTY 2016 – I knew it was time to start arranging it and didn’t realize I was stalled until I saw Ellsworth Kelly’s Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53. Now I am excited again about it, so it is closer to the top of the list. 6 months into the year and I need to get on it.
  • Lobster – I still have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
  • Octagon 9 Patch: ready to put together. Not sure what I am waiting for. Another leaders/enders project or do I want to lay out the blocks more carefully?
  • Under the Sea: class project; like the design and am happier with the colors. I still haven’t worked on it since February.

Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

    1. Aqua-Red Sampler – I need to lay the blocks out and put the piece together.
    2. The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, I did bring it to the 2017 CQFA Retreat as a potential project. It is still in a prominent location so I have easy access.
    3. Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
    4. Pies and Points from Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. No further progress. I did wash the background fabric I found when I went to Portland, so I am ready to cut. I need to focus on this and it is not up high enough on the list yet.
    5. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. My career counselor breathed new life into this project for me. She asked a simple question and the end result was inspiration for this piece, but I kind of lost steam again after printing images on paper to try out different designs. Lately, I have stopped feeling like I need to finish this piece. I am not ready to give up on it yet. I think it really needs major surgery.
    6. Serendipity Lady Quilt: no progress.
    7. Stepping Stones #2 – I am ready to make the border blocks , but haven’t gone beyond designing the blocks yet.
    8. Lozenge quilt – need to trim blocks.

Ready for Quilting

  • Nothing

In Quilting Process

  • Thanksgiving tablemat – I started quilting this piece at the 2017 CQFA Retreat. I made good progress, but it isn’t finished yet.
  • Theoretically, the Tarts Come to Tea is in the quilting process, though I haven’t worked on it in a while. It did come with me to Retreat and almost made it high enough on the list to get some love.

Binding

Peacock Quilt – finished quilting; have to pick up from my quilter, so I can bind.

Hunting and Gathering

  • 30 Something: I am still cutting 1.5 inch squares. I am pretty sure I have the 800 I need, but I am not ready to sew these yet, so whenever I have a chance I cut more. It will give me choice when the time comes. I’ll have to think up a new name, too.
  • Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch blue rectangles
  • Blue Lemonade: cutting blue, green, purple 2 inch squares. I used a lot of these squares for En Provence, so I will need to cut more.
  • Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch pink rectangles
  • Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
  • Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background. I bought a new template, so I should be able to get going again

Other

  • Stepping Stones #3 using the Macaron pre-cuts from Hoffman. I have all the fabric in pre-cuts and am just waiting for space (and desire) in my schedule.

What’s on your list?

Following up on Ugly Fabrics Post

I was so pleased to get so many comments on my Ugly Fabric post! I really enjoy comments, so keep them coming. 😉

The comments you added were full of great ideas. There was also a string of comments on FB when someone posted a link to this post on a secret quiltmaking group in which I participate.

Jackie said “I’m using my “ugly” (no longer my style) fabrics for testing pattern ideas and donation quilts. I know someone will love them.” I thought this was a great idea, if you can do it. I can’t always work with fabrics I don’t like which is one reason the nieces and nephews don’t get a choice in which quilt design they get for their quilt. I do ask them their favorite color, but they don’t get to choose the shade. If they say something like dusty rose or forest green, they are usually out of luck. I haven’t had a quilt returned, so I guess it is ok.

Nonnie commented “I have a ton of fabrics that may or may not be ugly but definitely fall into the WHAT WAS I THINKING category. I have been dividing my stash into two sections. …. LOVE THE FABRIC, use for family quilts and WHAT WAS I THINKING, use in experiments and donation quilts. I often trial a block or technique in a quilt I later donate to various charities or organizations. I work hard to make them beautiful and desirable but I am happy to know … I WILL NEVER HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM AGAIN. ” (Nonnie likes her capitals 😉   ). I guess a ‘what was I thinking category’ could be added to my list of fabric categories as well. I do pick up fabrics from the depths of my fabric closet and really wonder what I was thinking when I bought it. Often these are fabrics with some kind of strange dot or bold pattern choice. I have taken to pinning a note on new fabrics when I have an idea for them. I have so many ideas flitting through my mind that they don’t stick unless I make a note somewhere.

The other thing I noted was that was that fabrics that look great in a shop don’t always look great in my house. I have figured out that this is for a lot of reasons:

  • I like colors that I never use
  • The other fabrics in the line don’t always come home with me.
  • The light in the shop made the colors look different than they do in my workroom
  • etc.

I have really begun to look at fabrics I am considering buying in order to think about how I would use them. I have thought about this with regard to Tula Pink fabrics.

TFQ asked “Now the question is, are you going to get rid of those napkins so you don’t have to risk having an ugly fabric reaction every time you see them?” This is a good question that cycles through my head as I unearth fabric. I have been picking out pieces and giving them to BAM when I don’t think I will use them anymore. The Charity girls cut the fabrics up into 2.5″ squares and my uglies, which may not be someone else’s uglies, get lost in the 16 patch blocks.

Napkins are another story. Despite the poor fabric choice, the napkins are actually really nice. They are thick and do a good job cleaning faces while hiding stains. My SIL volunteered to take them off my hands as the dusty pink goes with her Desert Rose china. We’ll see.

Peg commented “Why should spend my money or my time on something I do not like. But, we may not agree on “ugly.” ” Peg is a new quiltmaker, though an expert knitter so knows her way around textiles. She reiterated what I thought, which is don’t listen to those who say to add some ugly fabric to make your pretties stand out. My Scrapitude Carnivale quilt is all pretties and that is a gorgeous quilt, if I do say so myself.

Of course, we cannot agree on ugly. I like pink, but not dusty pink. I like bright clear colors which may come from living in an environment that has bright, bright sunlight alternated with grey foggy days. Both of these weather phenomenon require colors that can stand up to those kinds of light. I find that bright, clear colors do that. I would be interested to hear what colors you find you use a lot and why you think that is.

Various & Sundry 2017 #9

For Sale Items: Take a look at fabric, a design wall and more! Buying helps me get a new design wall.

Get some discounts on Craftsy.

Projects, Exhibits & Shows

New Zealand creatives are hosting a 100 day paper cutting project. which started on May 22. I saw it on Ms. Lottie’s blog. She and her daughter are participating and each have their own pages to show the results of that day’s cutting. I like seeing each day’s work all together.

I am sure you have heard about the EPP Party going on around Pat Bravo. Today’s Quilter published an “Essential Guide to EPP” on their blog. Take a look.

Patterns, Fabric, Supplies & Tools

As you know, I am a huge fan of Judy Martin’s patterns and techniques. She operates a small business in Iowa and has a wonderful newsletter that reads like a friend is sharing news with you. You may have heard (did I mention it?) that Judy Martin has launched a new eBook venture called Judy Martin eBooks. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, I have rebuffed all other offers to become affiliates with other ventures. I am delighted however to be a new Judy Martin Affiliate. I love her patterns and books and, most importantly, her sound quiltmaking techniques. I have a goal to take a class with her sometime. This means that I will probably have to travel to Iowa since she rarely teaches outside the area anymore. Anyway, she already has some of her eBooks up on her site. I encourage you to look through her offerings and purchase some. Yes, I will get a cut if you click on the links listed, but you will also be directly supporting her hardworking family. Links:

  • July Fireworks: this is the first e-pattern I saw as a sample. I was blown away. I love the innovation in the layout
  • Star Happy Quilts is an e-book, originally published in 2001. The patterns are comprised of 3 different star blocks, which are arranged and resized in different ways. The books gives you the design practice to create tons of star quilt designs!
  • Celtic Squares Deluxe is a new-to-me pattern and very modern. The interlocking squares make my mind dance with ideas for gradations of color.
  • Patchwork Among Friends is not just a pattern e-book, but is a resource guide for getting people together to sew. There are 10 patterns, recipes for potluck dishes and ideas for getting quiltmakers together.
  • Starry Night Log Cabin is a pattern from her book Extraordinary Log Cabins for you log cabin fans. Judy has some different techniques for making log cabins that improve accuracy. It is also free!
  • Scraps is an e-book of one of Martin’s classics. There are 16 original designs presented in 3 different sizes to help you customize for your needs. The instructions contain a choice of accurate rotary cutting instructions or templates. Fat quarter requirements and yardage are listed for each quilt in every size. Color diagrams show piecing instructions. There are also ratings for each pattern to tell you ease of cutting, ease of sewing, and ease of thinking.  ;-0

Hints, Tips & Tricks

We all need some help in the measuring department. Riley Blake and Sew4Home are there for you. Riley Blake tweeted out a link to Sew4Home’s post about deciphering measurements on a measuring tape. This can be used as a guide for other measuring tools also. The post comes with printables for your wall. For you enlightened users of the metric system, there is a conversion chart from fractions to metric as well. If you aren’t following Riley Blake on Twitter, it is well worth the follow. They have clever quips and tweets that entertain me.

Charlotte of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady has been working on her sewing space. Her most recent blog post talks about her new pressing station. She has ‘made do” with some things she had around the house (or boat, in her case). The thing that impressed me most was her testing. She used a folding table with a plastic top. Melting plastic could be a problem. Her tips for testing to see if the plastic would melt were helpful. She links out to a post on her cutting station rebuild and her new studio (few months old now), so you might want to check those posts out as well.

Media

Frances has a series of posts on process. One things she says, which is absolutely true is “One of the things I enjoy about the creative process is the serendipitous moment.” I find I really have to play around with pieces (making visual decisions visually) to get to where the quilt should be. I am very interested in process and I like the way she has put all the pieces of the process together into a couple of posts. This is different from me where I post what is currently going on in my projects and don’t usually put them together. I’ll have to perhaps do something about that. At least I’ll think about it. In meantime go read Frances’ posts.

Poolside Tote in Process

Poolside Tote in pieces
Poolside Tote in pieces

I thought I would be able to sew the Poolside Tote together over the weekend, but no such luck. The project is still waiting for me to have time.

I was engrossed in En Provence and the Carpenter’s Wheel, as you know.

While the pieces laid on my floor (all horizontal surfaces are fair game for storage), I noticed that the random letters, in certain cases actually made words.

Hhmm.

Poolside Tote in pieces, annotated
Poolside Tote in pieces, annotated

I am not sure how I feel about that. I have pointed out some of the words I see.

The text fabric will be on the inside of the tote, so they won’t be very prominent. Making up stories using the words is a challenge.

On another note, the text fabric is VERY loosely woven and frays quite a bit. I might stitch the edge like I would a quilt with no border. I am just worried that another layer of stitching will make it hard to sew a bunch of layers together.

Ellsworth Kelly at the SFMOMA

Monday was a day of outings. Friend Julie came up on Sunday night to stay. She, DH and I headed off to the SFMOMA at the crack of dawn (ok, 9:30, but it was a holiday) for our appointment to see the Diebenkorn/Matisse exhibit that was closing that day.

We had a 10:30 appointment to get into the exhibit and arrived at the museum before the galleries opened. We had about 20 minutes to look at the other galleries on the 4th floor before our entrance time. One of the artists at which I looked was Ellsworth Kelly.

Kelly has a long history with the SFMOMA. The Fishers (founders of the Gap) bought many of his works and donated (or loaned) them to the museum. The SFMOMA has also bought pieces of his.

I have a checkered history with Kelly. A number of his works I have seen in the past were “color fields,” a canvas of one color. I am sure critics and art historians have a lot of positive things to say about such work, but I have never liked them. No matter how famous the artist I see these types of work as works they made phoning it in. This view comes from a very limited knowledge.

Spectrum I, 1953 by Ellsworth Kelly
Spectrum I, 1953 by Ellsworth Kelly

There were different works on the walls by Kelly this time. There were two that I particularly liked. One was Spectrum I from 1953.

As you can see, Kelly gradates the color from yellow to yellow. The information said that the yellow is the same on both sides. It doesn’t look like it because of hte influence of the green on one side and the light orange on the other. I also like the series of violets in the middles -an indigo with a touch of violet, a violet and a red violet. The canvas looks like it bows in the middle, which is an added bonus.

Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53 by Ellsworth Kelly
Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53 by Ellsworth Kelly

Second, was a piece called Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53. He did not phone this one in and I don’t think that blue tape was available at the time (though I really have no idea) to help keep the lines straight. DH found it hard to look at, but I found it inspiring.

You might have noticed that June is nearly upon us and I have not sewn FOTY 2016 together yet. I wasn’t feeling the love. After seeing “Spectrum Colors” I feel a renewed sense of purpose. I am seriously thinking of putting charcoal (not black) in between the colors, but doing it like he has done so there is some interaction between the colors. He uses solids and not all of my fabrics are solids. Still, I think using a solid charcoal or even the cool grey of which I bought about 1000 yards might make an interesting piece.

There are some issues:

  1. Another quilt with a gazillion pieces. Sigh. What has gotten into me.
  2. The squares I cut are 3″. Doubling the number I have might lead to a quilt sized large enough to cover my house. I could cut the squares and might do that. I’ll have to try out a bit and see.
  3. I don’t want to completely depart from the color gradation idea, so I might gradate the colors within the design field even though a solid might be in between some of the colors.

This is why it is good to go to art museums or see exhibits outside of your field. You never know when you will get inspired by an artist or piece of art.