In Search of a Finish

 

When I saw this on Instagram, I nodded my head in agreement. Since diving into quilting, I've often had more than one quilt project going at a time, pretty much for the reason she states. But on second thought, I decided I agreed only up to a point. While I've not had multiple knitting or embroidery projects going at one time, the ones in progress do add to list of things I could work on, and at some point I think the overall number of choices can become overwhelming, frustrating, and even depressing. That's kind of the point I'm at, I think, especially after unearthing so much during my search through bins. Over the weekend I could feel it building until it became clear: I needed a finish to feel better.

And so I chose the Joy Banner. You know, the one draped over my sewing chair waiting for threads to be buried and a label. I'd been viewing it as a daunting task, one I didn't want to do but couldn't escape. But there was a bookbinding video I wanted to watch which was an hour long, and because it was the last in a 4-part series, I was pretty sure I could follow along while burying threads, looking up when I knew there was something to see. The burying went more quickly than I anticipated with it nearly done by the end of the video. It only took ten or so minutes on another day to complete the task.

Now for the label. For years, I meticulously printed out my labels and hand stitched them to the back of quilts. Then there were some that really didn't need the printed label and I was fine with inking the info on cloth by hand. Next step was deciding some labels didn't need to be hand stitched in place but could be fused there. And that is what this banner would get. I didn't get the spacing quite right but the banner is going no place except up on my wall. Trimmed and fused in place, I now had that much needed finish and feeling better about myself.

I also spent some time over the weekend, rooting around in those bins again. I'd opened up that Stack-n-Whack quilt top to be dazzled by it, and wanted to find that possible border fabric I'd bought that now I wanted to use as a backing. You can see it at the top of the quilt, and that it would not work as a border. But it will be great as the backing. There's no question; this will be the next project to finish.

I'd searched my blog for posts about making it but could find none. How could that be? Fortunately, I'd pinned a note onto the top that explained everything and made me wonder how I could have so little memory of where I was living and the studio I was working in when I completed it. I only remembered working on it at the same time and with the same fabrics as the blocks for St. Hilary's Star which I finished after moving to Idaho in 2006. This note tells me I finished the top in 2003 (!), the star blocks at least partially done and set aside too, two years before I started my blog. The note also tells me the name which I'd forgotten: Venetian Tiles which is the name of the pattern in the book Stack-n-Whackier Quilts by Bethany S. Reynolds. My version uses only 4 blocks rather than the nine in the original - probably because of the fabric I had on hand. Finding the book took scanning my bookshelf then having another look through the closet where I found it resting flat on a shelf. I think I had plans to make at least one more quilt from it as I looked at fabric in the big bin and rolled onto a cardboard tube. I surely must have purchased her first book where I would have learned her technique and made my first Stack-n-Whack quilts but at this point, I can't find it. Anyway, I'm very excited to see things coming together for a finish of this quilt.

As long as I was lifting flat folds of fabric used in those two quilts out of the big bins, I thought one of them might work to finish out two of the Mariner Compass sample blocks I'd unearthed. I think pillows will be the best bet for these and I like this leafy print in the right teal blue for it. The other compass has already been set into a square using the same fabric as the background fabric but I think using this fabric for the back of the pillow will work well.

The yellow in the compass is actually more golden like the print in the batik on the left

Finally, I felt it time to take that last Mariner Compass and find a fabric to set it into. This one I plan to finish as something to hang on the wall, maybe even stretch over a canvas frame, and give to that great niece and her new husband as a wedding gift. That dark fabric on the right is a very mottled batik that should fit the bill nicely. I think it will be more interesting than a solid black (lord knows where the black fabric used in the compass might be by now). But you know, you have to try a lot of things, even outrageous things, to find the right fit. A lot of prints and batiks got auditioned before the mottled one stepped in and said, "Hey - don't you think I'm the one?" Be honest, doesn't your fabric talk to you too?

I've certainly got my work cut out for me during my daytime slot for creative endeavors. In the meantime, the evening knitting of the socks is coming along, be it slowly. One more section of increases on this one before the run to the top, at which point I'll switch back to the other sock to knit its increases. Each round begins at center back, and that orange marker reminds me when I've gotten there.

St. Hilary Star

I thought it about time I showed you the Stack-n-Whack stars I've been talking about. These are the two I finished eons ago (you can see part of the other top using a different pattern but same group of fabrics). The blocks are huge, finishing to about 20 inches, and while not difficult to piece, they have many pieces and require a bit of attention in order to get those pieces in the proper spot. More about that later.


The inspiration, if I remember correctly, was a yard of a reproduction print based on the "St Hilary" silk damask designed by John Henry Dearle for the William Morris collection by the Woodrow Studio London. Follow this link to see the actual design as shown on the cover of a Dover Book. While not the typical large motif suggested by the stack-n-whack method for making kaleidoscope blocks, you can see in the above picture, it worked nicely in the Medallion Star and also the Venetian tiles patterns in Bethany Reynold's second book, Stack-n-Whackier Quilts. I cut as many pieces as I could from that yard of fabric, which determined how many blocks I would have for each of my versions of Bethany's quilts. I'm used to altering patterns to fit the fabric on hand, rather than buying exactly what I need for a particular pattern.


I'd pieced all the kaleidoscope centers for the stars before packing this project away so long ago. Thank goodness, because even with some of the other piecing started on the star I worked on today, it's the only one I finished. Yeah, West Country Buddha, these are not speedy blocks so no finished top today! Here you see some of the major units laid out to get an idea of the sequence. Notice all the triangle units that look the same size although they are added to different shapes in the block. They are all the same size so you'd think they are all cut the same, right? Wrong...and thus the need for careful attention in the construction process. I think I'm remembering why I set this project aside...


Here is the layout diagram from the book. Note that some of the triangles are half square triangles (the bias edge runs along the angle) while others are quarter square triangles (the straight of grain runs along the angle). There are left side points and right side points, mirror images in terms of which side the half-square and quarter-square triangles are on. The triangles added to the corner units are also a mix. This is all done so that when the block is sewn together, all the grainlines run parallel to the block's edges. I've heard of quilters who plan and cut their blocks this way to eliminate any grainlines on the diagonal. I may be pretty fussy, but I decided long ago I wasn't THAT fussy. However, since Bethany went to all the trouble to figure it out and present so well in her patterns, I followed her instructions. She also gives pressing directions, and I have yet to find an error in any of her patterns. I so appreciate that attention to detail.

I'll keep pecking away at this as the week progresses. I think a block a day is a reasonable goal at this point, so the remaining three will soon be done. Then I have to figure out how I thought I was going to set them. The mind is very foggy on that.

Heels Turned

The zippered pouch with Hmong applique holds crochet needles and knitting accessories

I must admit I've lost enthusiasm for the split nine-patch project since failing to find that piece of batik I planned to use for a moon. And I still needed to clear space on the worktable in order to go ahead with finishing the Stack n Whack top. So my mind has been occupied instead on knitting: projects in the queue and the project on my needles. I hunkered down over the instructions for turning the heel, knowing I would have to concentrate to get it right this time, and I can report that I think I managed better, not seeing any holes that will need closing up later. Yeah!!!! Now I'm moving up the leg, first with some rounds in pattern to establish it and then changing the stockinette stitches to ribbing to match the ribbing on the instep. I honestly don't know how some knitters knock out socks so fast; these will take even longer than my last pair as I am making them kneehighs. But I really like working on both socks in the pair at the same time, alternating between them as I move through different sections.

I use cardstock for the covers, using a photo from her website

Clearing a space on the table meant catching up some things I wanted to add to my gratitude journal and gathering up printouts from some of Angela Walters' machine quilting series. Sometimes I think I like organizing more than I like actually making things; I'd found a stack of these printouts buried on the floor with a panel I'd bought in order to practice stitches from her "Fillers" series. Well, they won't do me any good there, and I'd thought that as I collected more and more printouts from her series, I should "bind" them using the Arc Notebook System as I had with my Handmade Books printouts. As much as I enjoy binding books, I have yet to run across one that will do what this system does. It works a bit like a spiral binding except that you can add and remove pages at will. It requires a special punch which I decided to invest in plus the plastic discs that hold the pages, and I have not regretted that purchase. Now that I have these organized and at my fingertips, it would not be a bad idea to get that panel out and layer it up. It would make a great warm-up piece; just doing one small section before starting a session on the Stack n Whack quilt.

I don't know about you, but I am having a terrible time adjust to the time change. That, and all the disturbing news bombarding us on a daily basis here in the states is enough to make me want to hide away with my knitting and quilting and reading or just curl up on the couch. Snuggled under a quilt, eyes shut, has always made me feel safe - the ultimate escape, But it's not the only thing, which is why I was gladdened to run across what I share with you below. Hang in there, fellow "hobbyists" and artists! We have a built-in safety feature. 💖

  

Hood River Fun Part II

Frankly, I didn't take a lot of pictures on this trip - I still was not totally recovered from my March Malady and I'd taken so many when I went down last year. There was a run into Portland before the exhibit reception where, among other things, we paid a visit to Fabric Depot. Oh, my - I'd not been before and could see as soon as I walked in the door what a dangerous place it is for any lover of textiles. One of the things on my list to look for was silk organza and I didn't have to walk far to find it. I could have spent all my time just in the silk section, but as you can see, I made it to the extensive batik section as well. Thank goodness they were having a sale, and friend Judi graciously offered her 40% off coupon to me to help defray the cost of that very expensive silk organza. But it is 54 inches wide and shades from blues to greens to even a yellow. So for someone who is not sure what she is going to do with silk organza, I feel I bought a piece that gives me lots of options. The tan fabric with the tree trunks and leaves is also silk, a jacquard that is so me I had to get some. And no, I don't know how I will use it, but I think it will go very nicely with some other silks in my collection and may end up as a background. That one batik is another fabric that shades, this time from blues to browns. I can see sky, water, ground, tree trunks coming from it. As for the thread, it is Sulky Ultra Twist which I understand is being discontinued. They didn't have the color I was looking for, in fact only had a variety of greens and a pink, so one of each came home with me. They did have the YLI heirloom silk thread in the navy I needed. And I also bought a package of black elastic cord, something I want to try as a closure on padfolios. So I was a very happy camper, even though there wasn't time to explore the entire store.

There were torrential rains that day as we zoomed down and then back up the gorge. Spring is much further along there than here in Northern Idaho, and the variety of greens on display did not escape my attention. Every imaginable shade and value was represented, some so bright and fresh. How do I forget this such that it is a surprise every year? We also witnessed the most remarkable rainbows created by the spray being kicked up by the cars as the sun dipped near the horizon behind us. None of us remember seeing anything like it, and of course none of us had a camera to try to capture it either.


Judi and I sewed off and on the next few days. The master bedroom in her new house has been converted into a wonderful studio space for her and her mother, Julia, who paints. They set up a table for me and this was my view. You can just make out Julia's in-process watercolor paintings on the table. With views like this, how could they not be inspired?

So what did I work on while there? Since I drove, I packed up my sewing machine and two very old UFO's. And there lies a cautionary tale. While at the quilting retreat the previous weekend, I remembered a stack-n-whack project I'd started at least 7 years ago. I remembered making 2 of the huge intricate star blocks, and cutting out the rest of the pieces for 4 more. A perfect project to work on out of my studio, right? I didn't pack up my sewing things until the morning of the day I was to leave, so when I unearthed this project from the bottom of a bin, I didn't have a lot of time to figure out exactly how I had left it. I'd forgotten that I had wrapped it up with another stack-n-whack project - farther along but using the same grouping of fabrics - and was confused about some of the triangle pieces lying loose outside the ziplock bag that obviously held my pre-cut pieces for the stars. I did find one note indicating I needed to cut more diamonds from a specific width and length of pink fabric, so cut that off and threw it in. Looked at the neatly stacked units and trusted they were all that I needed. Put aside the uncut pieces of fabrics and at the last minute, grabbed some of those "extra" triangles just in case I needed them. Grabbed the shoebox with my other ancient project for the trip, appropriate threads, a few rulers and other supplies and I was off.

Once I got set up to sew on the other end and started going through the instructions and what I'd brought , it didn't take long to realize how faulty my memory about this project was. I'd forgotten that half of the stars had pink points and the other green. There were no green diamonds cut, and I'd brought none of the green fabric along. Oh, well, I thought, at least I can get the two pink stars together. But again, I'd forgotten so much about this pattern, and it turned out I didn't have enough of the appropriate pieces to complete even one of the stars. (and yes, I DID need those triangles I'd thrown in at the last minute.) Sigh. I sewed as many parts together as I could, then made copious notes about what I was missing and what went with what. I'm determined not to put this back in the bin until I finish cutting and piecing while all this is fresh in my mind!


As for the other project, it is probably even older, and was originally all I was planning to take on this trip. Fortunately, everything I needed was in that shoebox, my notes made sense, and the work was very straight forward. Basically, it will be a simple scrappy quilt from reproduction fabrics made into half-square triangle units. I'm using the method where you layer two fat quarters right sides together and cut strips on the bias. In my case, the strips are 3 inches wide. I had most of the fat quarters chosen for this project already cut into strips, so it was a matter of sewing the strips together as you see in the picture above, mixing the different prints up in the sets to give the most variety to the resulting units.


Then, using the special bias square ruler, you start cutting your squares, lining up the diagonal line with the seam. and the size of the square (in my case 3-1/2") along the raw edge. This is a fairly quick and very accurate way to make lots of these units and more detailed instructions can be found in books that cover basic quilt techniques. I've pressed the seams open to reduce bulk at the intersections when the half-square triangles are sewn together.

Of course, I had visions of getting all of the 360 or so half-square triangle units sewn and cut before coming home, but we had plenty of distractions. I decided not to count how many units I cut (no use depressing myself) but instead counted it a major accomplishment to get the remaining fat quarters cut into strips and all of the pairs of strips sewn together. I plan to keep this project from going back on the shelf too, even though it is very far down on my list of priorities. It's such a simple concept and I'm anxious to get the border fabric out of my regular stash. I'm also very aware of the fact that these fabrics don't speak to me quite the way they once did. So it would be good to get this made up, ready to pass on to someone who might love it more than I. Or perhaps I'll be surprised at how much better I like it once those fabrics are mingling together all over the completed top.

An Interesting Week

I pause from watching a ton of motorcycle racing this weekend to update you on my goings on. I'm delighted that blooms have finally burst forth in my neighborhood. The first that I noticed were forsythia bushes - how could you NOT spot them with their bright yellow blooms.

Days later I spotted flowering trees along the next street over from me. (My street has maples and choke cherry trees that won't bloom until later.) These were taken on a cloudy day with my not very good cell phone camera so difficult to see some of the pink blooms.

My neighbor had set out a pot with bulbs pushing up which I'd been anxiously waiting to see just what they were. Finally they have opened up into beautiful daffodils. 

I had reason to be downtown one day last week and was delighted to see white blossoms on some of the trees there. I was due for a haircut and my safari hunting stylist had two pieces of Kudu hide left over after mounting by her husband. The Kudu was actually taken by her dad after he'd shown interest in her first safari adventure. It was a special trip for this hunting father-daughter duo and I'm honored that she thought to offer these to me. I have yet to do anything with the first pelt she gifted me but the wheels never stop turning. It's mostly that I have no experience working with leather and continue to research.

In the meantime, back to the familiar. Time to layer up the Venetian Tiles top. I definitely considered skipping a few steps like pressing the major creases out of the backing, but decided I'd no doubt hate myself at some point if I didn't do it. The top had only a slight single fold line so yeah, may as well press that out too. I flipped it right side down and sighed a heavy sigh as I saw so many frays along the raw edges of seams. Very nearly skipped trimming those away too, but decided again that I'd be kicking myself if I could see any of those threads showing through to the front as I quilted. Not a quick process but cleaning up the wrong side is always a good idea. Look at the pile of threads!

All layered and safety-pin basted although I still need to hand-baste around the edge of the top and turn the backing/batting to the front to be pinned down for a nice neat package for machine quilting. So fascinating studying the variation of pattern in the blocks cut from the same fabric.

I also spent time digging through those bins and other piles around the studio for the missing Stack-n-Whack book, and also my Mariner Compass book that I wanted to reference before finishing up those class sample blocks and cannot put my finger on. You know you're in trouble when you look in the same places for the third time with the same result. Running out of places to look, although I did manage to unearth two books I don't remember buying plus two that I think I'd pulled off the shelf to reference quite awhile ago when I was working on stamping and linocutting - much piled on top of them. Those went back on the shelf as I'm not stamping or linocutting at the moment. The two I didn't remember got put away properly too. Is the dragon guard doing too good of a job, hiding things from me?

Suddenly I remembered a file box in the garage that holds info for the classes I taught while still in Wisconsin. I've tried several times to break down these files as I'm not planning on teaching any of these again, but as I look through it now hoping to find the lost books, I was reminded why I keep putting the lid back on and shoving it aside. Copies of class handouts and patterns easy enough to get rid of but there's also fabric from samples and partial blocks used to demo steps - as if I don't have enough leftovers and orphan blocks to deal with, I just can't face taking these things out and deciding what to do with them yet. They are from over 20 years ago; will they be helpful in making a quilt years from now as in the meme?  However, I was right about finding a lost book out there. I vaguely remember teaching the basic Stack n Whack method and sure enough, that first book was filed with my class notes. But the Mariner Compass book was not there, even though there was a Mariner Compass class file. Sigh. It no doubt will show itself when I least expect it. 

I'll soon have another finish to share, by the way. I've been much more diligent this last week putting in time on my sock knitting. I am literally 2 inches away on each sock from being done with them.

Refocus

I admit to being more of a glass half empty than glass half full personality. It must be why I think back on 2010 and mostly see what didn't go as planned, why I only think of the diversions and not what actually got done. I started off with a resolution word of "focus" in the hopes of being "more efficient overall so that I'll have time for more of my interests, and the luxury to focus on handwork." I was optimistic about 2010 and where it would lead me (see this post). Focus was going to get me there, and I did pretty well the first two months. Then I started dealing with one medical issue after another. It wasn't until the year was 3/4 over that I even remembered about resolution words, and thought, wow - I really did lose focus - and I never really got it back, except for a few brief stints as deadlines loomed. As December rolled along, I declared 2010 a hash and demanded a do-over in 2011! Rather than continue with the same resolution word, I've adjusted it slightly. I think my goals are pretty much the same as last year, and I think I can achieve them, if I just refocus. So there it is, my resolution word for 2011.

But wait, was 2010 as worthless in terms of creativity as I'm working so hard to convince myself? Last year I didn't do an accomplishments tally, but this year I decided I needed to. As a friend gently reminded me, a comparison of where I was at the start with where I was at the end might leave me pleasantly surprised. And it has. For someone who remembers nearly every venture into the studio an effort, full of struggles and less than satisfying results, for someone who truly lost her creative vision for awhile, I did actually accomplish some amazing things.

There was the wrapping up of the row robin challenge with my WI/MN friends - completing rows for the last two exchanges (here & here). June and I were continuing our own creative challenge which pushed me to complete 4 new 12 x 16 art quilts (here, here, here & here). Without these monthly deadlines through the first part of the year, I would have been hard-pressed to have any new work for exhibits that came later. Mid-year I turned to the scraps and trimmings from finished project that littered the work table and started working small, finishing 7 fabric postcards before the year was out (here, here, here) . As a progression, I made several other "miniatures" without actually finishing them out as postcards, the light bulb moment coming as I pondered how to frame these little pieces for an exhibit (see here). Then there were the two art quilts born out of my imagination, no help from challenges, although upcoming exhibit themes helped them along (Dance & Willow). Willow, actually, was conceived during the worst of my vision loss and represents a turning point where I started seeing again in the old way. That was pretty scary, committing to an exhibit with no inspiration, no clue what I would make. I'd been finding nothing but fault with most of what I'd done for months, but this piece made me believe in myself again.

For someone who was going to cut down on exhibiting, and did forgo the major local art event of the year, ArtWalk, I couldn't resist the siren call as the year progressed. Most of what I finished ended up in 4 different exhibits. So much for a low profile.

And then there were the padfolios...17 in all! These gave me an outlet for all the photo manipulation play I was doing (and I did spend hours on the computer running photos through filters). I took the leap and bought a pigment ink printer with capacity to print up to 13 inches wide, and printed out my own designs on fabric for many of those padfolios (see samples here). Wow, that is something I'd wanted to do for a long time. I suppose if I'd done nothing else last year, it would have been a success. I also pieced 4 huge intricate stack-n-whack blocks, over 300 half-square triangle units for an antique reproduction top, made the annual block for the nephew (designing and printing it out on the aforementioned printer), 4 blocks for a charity project in the wake of the New Zealand mine disaster, 4 simple bookmarks and a tote bag for gifts. Oh, and machine quilted a small string quilt. Well, I guess that sounds like quite a bit.

What about my 2010 desire to find time for handwork and other interests outside of quilting? I guess I'm discounting the former because I don't have finished work to prove it. But a look at my engagement calendar where I record my sewing activities reminds me of the hours I put in completing the hand quilting on the queen-size Lone Star I've been slaving over for years, the weekend retreat in Minnesota where I added quilting to a Suzanne Marshall applique quilt, the afternoons sitting out on the porch in warmer weather appliqueing squares on the first Azalea Mosaic quilt, even some hand applique on sashing strips from my cousins quilt. I had hoped to finish at least one of these and more likely two, but they all remain UFO's at year's end. Still - I DID make some progress on them and I must give myself credit for that.

As for the other interests? I really did pursue them, although it ended up being at the expense of time in the studio, being so unfocused and visionless and all. But they were wonderful diversions and I can't believe I forgot they were part of my priorities for 2010. In January I fulfilled my desire to practice the drawing skills I'd begun to learn by doing a drawing a day. I coupled this with a sudden fascination with bookmaking - making little accordion booklets to sketch in (see here and here). I took up knitting again, and learned how to make a moebius scarf, knit or crocheted quite a few prayer shawls for friends, family, church. I guess I kept my hands pretty busy after all. And reading....I did lots of reading, titles from my own lists, titles suggested to me, from books lent to me, things I'd never have discovered on my own, stories and topics to tantalize and stretch the mind and simply delight. I am so lucky to have so much time to read.

Lest you think all these activities make me nothing but sedentary, well, you would be somewhat correct, and I did something about that. Some lingering effects of a virus earlier in the year left me with issues that only exercise could remedy. In August, I got off the flat bike trail and did some hiking that left me in awe of this area (even more than I already am), and puffing and panting. In September, I leerily tried yoga, and found it the rest of my answer to recovering my health.

I still find myself fighting the disappointment I feel at things not achieved, unfinished business still unfinished, ruing the time lost to illness & doctor appointments and the accompanying lack of drive. Although much that's been stacked on my worktable found its way into projects, I swear there is more there now than when the year began (fishes and loaves syndrome, I call it). The nephew's Lone Star quilt is still awaiting the finishing touches. Those stack-n-whack blocks did not get set into a top, the half-square triangle units sewn into a scrappy arrangement. No play with purses or totes (save the last minute Christmas gift) or those wonderful "It's a Wrap" fabric baskets took place. Even the reduced number of blog posts tells part of the tale (143 compared to 194 & 221 the previous years). But for Pete's sake, I really need to shut up about 2010 being a year when I got nothing done. The evidence right here on this blog certainly says otherwise. I'll refocus my efforts on what I hoped to accomplish but didn't, but keep reminding myself I had a great artistic year anyway. My friend was right, I am pleasantly surprised. Hand me that half full glass - and Happy New Year!

WHERE IS IT????

I am frustrated. The socks were calling to me once I got both to the heel-turning part so I've been spending extra time on them since I remember having trouble with it on the first socks I knit with this pattern. It's going better but really demands my attention. It's in two parts knit a little differently from each other, the first part being pretty easy and straight forward. The second part not so much and I was ready for a break. It occurred to me that I should dig out that circle of batik I'll be using as a moon with the split nine-patch blocks so that the fabrics surrounding it are right. I thought I'd run across it not that long ago, and started with the top bin on a stack of three in the closet. It's actually made for storing Christmas wreaths but because of its large squarish size, I bought it to store the Baltimore Album blocks I'd made. Nope, not there, but instead I was faced with some of my earliest forays into sun printing, surface design and art quilting. Talk about leftovers! So many bits and pieces to not toss, so many ideas especially for working with leaves. And a substantial amount of that Roberta Horton plaid - I have no idea why I stored it here.

On to the next bin. It had a note on top telling me what projects were in it. Things I'd forgotten about, like a small top made from feedsack reproduction prints and drunkard's path blocks, and not one but three mariner compass blocks. I was planning on looking for the yellow and black one to finish up as a wallhanging for my step-great niece who is a bit of a world traveler and happened to snag an Irishman when she was in New Zealand. They recently got married and I hadn't done anything about a wedding gift yet, thought this would be perfect. But those other two - I recognize most of the fabric from the shop I taught at in Wisconsin so they must have been samples for a class. I knew I had one Mystery Quilt set of directions with fabric set aside in one of the bins and I found it here, along with two others - really??? Other projects too in there. I have no need to find anything new to work on - I have plenty in these bins.

Things I was dabbling in shortly after arriving in Idaho 2006

The third bin is a truly big and deep one, and I knew some of what was in there, but wasn't expecting this on the top along with pieces of hand-dyed fabric. I must have had a plan for setting the hand-dyes aside but I'm not sure what. I do know what I'd planned to do with the sharply angled triangles and why I set it aside. I think I'm more experienced now and could work with these with success now. To be honest, it's almost depressing to see here and in the other bins these early attempts and ideas that I've abandoned, a little because of out of sight, out of mind.

But still no batik circle of fabric. However, the next layer included something else I was planning on finding to work on. In fact, as I was considering what to choose for my return to more quilting, it was between this Stack n Whack top ready to quilt and the split nine-patch art quilt. It's made from leftovers of the St. Hilary's Star quilt for which I had far more fabric than I needed. I put it aside because I was dithering about adding a border of an African fabric that I'd picked up thinking it would go, but once home with it, I wasn't sure. It's been on my mind to finish it up for a very long time so I can drape it over the trunk in my livingroom. I think that border idea is long gone. May use that African fabric as a backing though. A ton of fabric and ideas lie between this top and the final layers of fabric.

Luckily, some of this is labeled as to what it is intended for. I'm remembering now about the full size quilt I wanted to make using my signature Idaho Beauty block and, what else, teal fabric for the stars, white for the background. I actually do not think I'm interested in making that anymore. I did know I had the beginnings of a "Simply Seminole" quilt in this bin, one where you make the strips, then sew them together quilt-as-you-go style, something else I taught and this was my second sample. I need many more Seminole-pieced strips to finish this up and again, not entirely sure I'm interested in doing that. I also knew that the background and backing fabric for another quilt I've been wanting to make for at least the last three Christmases, one with pinwheels of plaids and Christmas prints, should be in this bin, and there it was at the very bottom. And whew! I'd been looking for the pattern in my binder files to no avail which worried me, but no, I'd put it with this fabric. I still really want to make this one. 

So I am at a loss as to where that circle of batik is hiding. There is one more place I could check, which means unloading my cache of framed art quilts and framing materials which reside on top of a foot locker also filled with larger lengths of fabrics, some of which are batiks. It's such a job getting into that trunk, and now with the finds I have made, perhaps I should just get started on something else. Certainly wasn't a waste of time going through the bins where I found plenty of great project to choose from. Maybe I'll finish turning those heels first . . . 

The Reception And I'm Done

It was a beautiful summer Friday evening which made me fear we would not have a decent turnout for the Ode To Water opening reception. So I was most delighted to arrive to crowds already milling about before the official start time. It's not a huge venue so the 60 plus people who attended really filled it up. I'm very pleased with where my lovelies are hung, where they get not only light from above but lots of light streaming in through the glass doors at the entrance to the left. The quilting texture of both quilts really stood out and I think perhaps drew people over for a better look. The comments I received showed an understanding of the time and work behind the execution, and a real interest in how it was achieved. There were artists I hadn't met before exhibiting too, and it was fun to chat with them about their work. For instance, that picture to the left of my pieces at first glance looks to be black and white photography but is actually done with graphite pencil by Doug Fluckiger. His three pieces were very large but he said he tends to work quickly so the size is not a big deal to him. You can see more of his work on his website, dougfluckiger.com.

Dividing Up The Spoils

I've been toying since the first of the year with the idea of taking some time off from my art quilting, at least in terms of meeting exhibit deadlines. This is the last exhibit I committed to earlier, and I am going to try to make it my last of the year. That way, I have nearly half the year to myself. Perhaps this happens to you, wanting to work on something only to realize you really can't spend the time right now, there's something with a deadline that must be done first. Well, no more pushing things aside because of an exhibit deadline to meet. Nope, I've been thinking all along what my quirky illustrator Mattias Adolfsson says in the drawing above, except for me it's not that the rest of the summer is mine, it's that the rest of the year is mine.

Seed geranium with a coral tinge

And what do I plan to do with this time? Well, I sat down with a spiral notebook and started writing it down - 5 pages worth! I need more than the rest of the year for everything on my mind, but I can get an awfully good start. For one thing, I can spend more time on my back deck reading or doing handwork now that the weather is nice. I have 2 hand applique projects and a partially hand quilted wall hanging I haven't touched for years but that are tugging at me to enjoy the finishing of while also enjoying the flowers I've tucked into the deck planters.

Snapdragons in pink...

...and in yellow with a green tinge

There are other quilting ufo's to work on too - that baby quilt still needs quilting, the lap quilt needs its borders quilted, a stack n whack top perfect for the chest in my living room is calling to be layered and quilted and enjoyed. Any number of things could be pulled off the design wall and played with or pulled from a stack on the floor. Might any of these end up in an exhibit? Probably. But that will not be foremost on my mind.

Dianthus smelling of spice

There's also the bookbinding and altered book projects awaiting. Plus some things that fall in the mixed media category. No end to what catches my attention and intrigues me.

And when I want to be out of the studio, away from textiles altogether, there's always sketching: the buildings on my list to add to the architecture sketchbook, the urban sketching at the park, the sketchbook skool coursework to finish, the play with watercolor and other wet media added to my sketching. Just getting out - into the woods, out along the lake - with or without sketchbook.

Marigolds to add a dash of brightness and chase away the ants

I need to clean out my garage, rearrange, set up my dye station better, be able to make paper out there. Make paper out there and finish the dye runs from last year. I even have a couple of boxes from the move nearly six years ago that need to be unpacked (mostly things for the china cabinet). Shampoo the rugs inside. The list goes on.

A recently acquired & scanned slide of my oldest brother holding me

My biggest project though, which even if I did nothing else but work on it would keep me occupied into next year I suspect, is organizing and scanning family history ephemera, and perhaps doing some genealogical research as well. I'd already started on this a few years ago, in short spurts, enough to realize the scanning of photographs, letters and documents will take longer than I thought, and that the narrative I want to write to go with it will certainly add to that. And now I've recently gotten my hands on all the family slides I'd given to my brother to keep safe years ago - dozens and dozens to be scanned. But it is the sort of thing I really enjoy doing, and with no children of my own to hand this off to and family members, interested nieces and nephews, far flung, I realized I could digitally preserve what I have and put it up on the internet for easy access for them. Must get cracking on it though! 

Fits and Starts

I am itching to get those big stack n whack blocks sewn together into a top. Goodness, it's been over a year since I pieced the last one. No wonder I'm getting tired of looking at them on the design wall. I've been hesitating over the fabric for the corner triangles, thinking I want a more blended look but unsure of which of the set-aside fabrics might give me the proper look. Aha! With three experienced quilting friends on their way last month, I decided to let them help me decide. We all agreed that the fabric indicated by the red arrows was the best choice.

So with the string quilt done and in the mail, yesterday I happily got out the fabric, cut my triangles and arranged them around the blocks. To my horror, they looked absolutely awful! Well, this wouldn't be the first time I'd auditioned large pieces of fabric only to find they read totally different when cut to size. Not to worry - I decided that the blue fabric in the star points would work better, do my blending thing. But this time, I only cut a few triangles to try out. It was better, but that blue reads stronger than the blue in the border fabric surrounding each star (contrary to how the photo reads), really fighting for attention rather than playing nicely.

I started leaning towards the green in the other star point. It would have worked, but now the blue star points pulsed more than everything else. Come on guys, don't you know your place in this design???

I finally settled on a slightly darker green in the same family. My subconscious tried reading to me from the quilter's book of rules - Somewhere in my quilting history, I seem to remember someone warning against introducing a new fabric to the mix, that it would stand out and not look right, and initially I had listened instead of trusting my gut reaction to that darker green nowhere else in this quilt.. But now as I tried a few triangles, I could see it matched the intensity of that blue (again, not really reading that way in the picture) and balanced it perfectly, plus played up the green leaves in the other fabrics. I quickly cut the rest of the triangles and sewed them on today, and I am SO pleased with the results. I now feel the quilt is coming together with a nice balance. I hope that continues as I add the alternating vertical strips of border print (the burgundy stripe circling the stars in each block).

St Hilary's Star Quilt

If you think all I've been doing lately is taking pictures of flowers and watching the lake levels rise, you would be wrong. It's just that what I was working on was presents which once done took a slow trek from one side of the U.S. to the other. I knew that the recipient follows my blog, but is also a busy girl, so some posting about this quilt was safe. Then I realized she was catching up on the blog while on vacation so I didn't dare keep talking about it, nor the other present I was making for her. But now that the gifts have arrived, I can share them with you, beginning with the stack n whack quilt I'm calling St Hilary's Star.


It finished out at about 60-1/2 x 74-1/2, a bit smaller than I would have liked, but that's what happens when you let the amount of fabric you have on hand dictate the final outcome of the design. Plus, I lost 2-1/2 inches both directions during the quilting and blocking process - a reminder to those of you used to working small if you dive into a bed-size project. Even if the batting is not supposed to shrink up when dampened (I was using a wool batt that can shrink up to 3%), you will still lose an amazing amount with the draw-up of machine quilting.

The quilt gets its name from the William Morris reproduction fabric used in the kaleidoscope centers of the stars. By shifting the template orientation with each set, each star center is slightly different. Click on any photo for a larger view.








The recipient is a real fan of art nouveau, so I knew she'd really love this fabric I used as backing.


This turned out so well - at least I think so. The lighting is a bit uneven in the pic below, but it gives you a better shot of the strippy quilt setting I chose for those big blocks.