Y

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Henry David Thoreau

Happy Easter! Here's a little "JOY from today."

I finally feel a bit better and was able to get out and enjoy some of this beautiful spring day. It's nice that the weather has finally caught up with the season.

Paul was a good sport to carry home the "Y" I found on our walk.....and I photographed the log because it reminded me of a sunburst.  When I got home I realized I had a "Y" and an "O".....but had to manufacture the "J."

                                     

Amused

Paul took advantage of the bare puzzle table and put together his 28 piece childhood Pinocchio puzzle. I think he did it to amuse me....he was successful. It's been sitting there for a couple of days....but today was the day to start another one of my own.

Linda loaned me just the right one. It's very counterintuitive not to do the border first...but I'm going to do one bow at a time.

 

It's almost putting itself together.

Squares and Buttons

I have a little bit of a spring cold/bug....so today needed to be pretty low-key.

I was able to muster up the energy to sew the green squares and buttons on the square quilt...I think it turned out OK.  But I can see from this picture that it's time to de-fuzz the sewing machine.

In the end I decided to use less squares keeping it a bit more simple. But who knows...it still may get tweaked.

Here's a peak at the black invisible binding..... 

...and you can see that it blends right into the canvas from the side.  I won't attach any of the quilts to the canvases until I'm sure I'm happy with them.  

Finish Work

Thanks Dale for the vote of confidence on the crazy pleated piece!  Your kind comment gave me a little extra spring in my step today! It's sits waiting for me up in Maine.

My goal this week is finish work. Today I squared up and bound the purple pieces. I used an invisible binding method basically following the directions from Terry Aske found here. I'm still trying to come up with a little better way to deal with the corners. I do it a little different each time....but it works pretty well.  Since these quilts will be mounted on black canvas I don't want them to have a visible border.

I always get a little nervous when I cut into a quilt.  I check and double check before I cut. Yes.....I learned the hard way.....you can't add it back on once you cut it off.

I use the lines on my cutting mat and two rulers. My general rule is to cut it a scant 1/4 inch bigger than the canvas.  This allows for seam allowance...and a little for rolling to the back.  I like a little bit of black canvas showing around the edge once it's mounted. I first learned about mounting quilts from one of my favorite quilt artists, Cindy Grisdela....you can read her tutorial here.

This one is bound and ready for the green squares and buttons....

hopefully tomorrow. 

I decided just to jump in and quilt the background on this one yesterday.  I matched the thread to the purple and teal because I didn't want it to take center stage....but wanted the texture. That made it a little difficult because I couldn't see what I was doing very well.

Before the quilting this one seemed to look a little flat.  Quilting just the background makes the tree trunks pop and creates the texture it was lacking.  The quilting is random and different in each area...but it seems OKish.  I am going to add just a little bit of embellishment like a few buttons...there's a pleasing simpleness to this one.

Creative Excursion

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way...things I had no words for."
Georgia O'Keeffe

I was lucky enough to go on a creative excursion today with three friends to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. 

We got a glimpse into the fascinating life of Georgia O'Keeffe, got to play around in a fascinating interactive light exhibit, and even tap into our inner child and walk through a whole room of pink balloons. What's not to like about a day like that!

Not So Bad

I'm trying to finish some of my other pieces....but I also made progress on the pleated piece.  It's showing a little promise....but the verdict is still out. I do like the continuity of the yellow line in both views. Yes....I should have made other fabric choices...but this is what I chose so I'm just going for it.

I sliced off 1 1/4 inch strips one at a time from each scheme and alternated sewing them onto a long piece of interfacing. Each time I added a 3/4 piece of really stiff interfacing underneath to create the pleat. I think in the fabric/fashion world this is called boning.                                                                                                      

 

I marked a straight line on the interfacing to keep the boning strips straight and I tucked them in right along the previous seam.

I folded it up several times along the way just to check it out... it looks pretty cool this way.

This is what is looks like when it's flat....a little wild looking. The fabrics are a little intense but they're also kind of happy.  I need to decide what to bind the edges with...and how I'm going to mount it. And...being true to me....I may audition a little embellishment.  It's already over the top so why not go all the way over!  

When I walked into the studio the next morning....I thought "this isn't so bad!" Then I laughed at the mountains of fabric on the table and the floor.

I laid some variegated sock yarn where the seams meet at tops of the pleats....it's subtle...but I think it helps soften the transitions.  I'm going to keep playing around with it and figure out what comes next.  I left it in the studio and I may not get back there for week or so. It's always good for me to let things sit and go back to it with fresh eyes. 

  

JOYFUL!

Along the right side of my blog sits a photo of a "JOY!" carving done by my artist friend Rob. It's one of my favorite possessions and gets moved around my house in Lexington reminding me to be "surprised by joy."

A while back I bought the promise of another one of Rob's carvings at our church youth group auction.  At first I thought I wanted another "JOY" to take to Maine....but what I finally asked for was "JOYFUL."

It was delivered today and I couldn't be more thrilled. Do you see the subtle little "puttering" along the edge? I love the bold rainbow spectrum and the evening sunset evolving into a dark starry night sky.  Thank you Rob! I love it!

It's awesomely chunky so will sit nicely on a shelf. It's heading to Maine and I can't wait to find it a new home.

Make Things Happen

"There is a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen." Hugh Prather

Lots of impressive kids...and adults out there today.  Thank you to everyone who marched for our lives.  I think these kids are going to make things happen!

I Have To Try

"If you can't stop thinking about it...don't stop working for it."  Michael Jordon

I have a lot to do....and finish....but I couldn't stop thinking about an accordion pleated quilt piece. I have to try. I spent part of the day working on two curvy landscape type (putting my new skill to use) pieces that I will cut up and alternate to make the accordion. Yikes!

In hindsight I'm not sure the colors will work together as good as I hoped. I started off with a simpler stack of fabrics that all looked together....then as I worked on the individual pieces I added in and traded...oops. I'm just going to give it a whirl and see what happens.  If it doesn't work I'll hang it in my studio as a "I had to try it piece."

Leap

"I've read that past and future are a spiral, one coil containing the next and predicting its theme. Perhaps this is so; but my life has seemed to me more a series of closed circles, rings that do not evolve with the freedom of a spiral. For me to get from one to the other has meant a leap not a glide. What weakens me is the lull between, the wait before I know where to jump."  Truman Capote

I have been in Maine most of this week.  I've worked some on my show projects...but I've also been working on a much more important project this week and these last few months....a family project.  It's been a bit of a journey....but big decisions were made today and papers were signed making it all very real.

In just a little over a month...my mother in law Margie will be moving from Colorado, where she has lived almost all of her life, to an independent living facility here in Portland, Maine....just minutes from our condo. It's big leap, it's a brave move, and we're thrilled!   I am very much looking forward to being "her person" on a regular basis.  And....I get to turn another "white box" into a home....Margie's new home. 

This sign was on the office door at the facility:
This is the place. This is the time to JUMP!

And...here's a little evidence of my other project today...lots of color in my waste basket. 

Companion Grove

This was one of those days where I couldn't quite get into my groove....but I still gave it a go.

I'm working on the next small quilt that will hang just above the other purple one.  This one is more of a plum purple and teal inspired by two Kaffe striped fabrics. I wanted a companion grove of skinny trees...but with a little different take so I tried a curved piecing technique for the first time.

Trying to keep it a little more artsy I didn't want my horizon lines to match up and I wanted it a little off center. I'm not wild about the three stair-steps on the right horizon line and I'm not sure about the shapes and spacing of the trees. This was actually my second attempt. If I give it a third go....I'll draw out a plan ahead of time.  This was all done free hand as I went with absolutely no planning.  Is there a lesson here???

My first attempt I had added some teal swatches at the top of the strips....but didn't like them.  In some ways the lines of these trees are better in this one which is why I thought I didn't need a pattern the second time around. I was sure I could do better. Oy!

Both times I started with my background fabrics all sewn together.  I laid the striped fabric on top and cut the curve of both pieces at the same time so they would match up.



Then I flipped the striped fabric over and sewed that seam. I alternated stripes and background cutting the curve for the seams using the same technique.  I know this sounds confusing and my pictures aren't that good...but there's a link below.

 

I referred to this Red Pepper Quilts tutorial on curved piecing.  My curves are gentle and I'm anxious to try the technique on something a little more curvy.  If you want better instructions and visuals check out the tutorial.

I will give this fresh eyes tomorrow and see if I can make it work....or try it a third time.  Thank goodness it's small.

Spring?

It looks and feels like winter outside...the closest thing to spring today was this lovely salad I had for dinner with Janice and Jay. I never quite know what to do with things like bok choy and kumquats... but Janice does!  Happy first day of spring...?

Purple Pearls

To continue the purple theme....today it's a beautiful
photograph of "purple pearls on ice" by Jorg Kaspari.

Ultra violet happens to be Pantone's color of the year.

I'll have to see if I can find the dried purple pearls (AKA beauty berry) I brought back from my sister Angie's last fall.....I wonder if they've kept their beautiful color.  I'll let you know.

Swoopy Curves

I've been mulling over the quilting at the top of the purple quilt.  At first I thought swirls....but there was a good chance I would mess it up....I should have done it first.  But then I decided I wanted it simpler.

I almost left it with no quilting because the stitching on the strips is so subtle....but I am regretting no quilting on the dots on another one I did earlier.  Quilting is a good thing...it adds texture.  I finally landed on swoopy curves with my walking foot.  I used a sliver of soap to lightly mark my lines....winging it doesn't always work.

Now I can sew on the squares and I'm pretty sure there'll be buttons. I think the stitching will define the squares and add even more texture. 

            I may let this one sit because I know it's heading in a positive direction and get started on the next one.  I have a couple of ideas rolling around in my head. 

I like the offset buttons....my inclination is to center....but "off" is good sometimes.

Motion

"When we make a decision, whether it's good or bad, at least it's motion. That motion is what moves us forward. Ironically, whether that motion is in the right or wrong direction, at least it's giving us some better visibility of the terrain around us and helping us learn." Scott Belsky

I felt like I was in constant motion during our quick couple of days in Maine. It included a little of this and a little of that around the condo...a few craft projects and a delightful evening with friends. 

I added some simple embellishments to my pink and orange catalog collage.....

....and started playing around with a blue and green one.  I need to think on this a little more....I want it to be different.  I just need to fiddle and play a little more...it's always good to let it sit for a while.

I made a quick cut-out from a piece of white card stock so I could always see how it will look in the matte.

And...I  started filling in my swirl "oops". This piece may end up being WAY too much of a good thing....but at least it was motion!

Lots of little motions.