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Archive for the ‘Machine Quilting’ Category

A Hectic, Satisfying Day

Thursday, January 7th, 2016

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When I took this quilt (without the tree) to my critique session last fall, the critic said it was not finished, it needed something else. I had always thought about putting a California Oak on it because you often see a lone Oak on the golden hills. I thought it might be too realistic for the overall tone of the quilt. But, today I did it. And, I am still not sure, but I sure love the tree.

I took off for the studio this morning to get this done. I cut a trunk.

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I auditioned some green fabrics and ended up using this batik. I think it worked well.

I fused the tree together on a teflon sheet.

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Then, I auditioned it in different spots on the landscape and fused it down.

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I took it home and quilted it.

I also finished this little quilt. I scattered a few more leaves on it before I added the facing.

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Tonight, we took the street car down to the Pearl to the opening of an art exhibit that 3 friends are in. I also retrieved my Blue Picasso Woman and brought it home. It has been traveling for a year and a half.

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I took all 3 of these quilts to Kristin LaFlamme who is taking them to Seattle with her tomorrow to be photographed by Mark Frey, who is a great photographer of textiles and art objects. Kristin has a 3-D piece that needs to be photographed for a catalog for a SAQA exhibit at the Textile Museum, Migration Stories. Here she is photographing it in our condo hallway for a video she plans to make of it in various sites.

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And so, I am feeling pretty good tonight. Got a lot accomplished. Tomorrow, I start an online dyeing class with Elizabeth Barton. While I was at the studio, I checked on my supplies. In this workshop she promises:

If you’ve never dyed before, this is the class to take. If you have taken a class but ended up feeling confused about the whole process, this is the class to take. If you have taken a class, and felt like it was all too much work, this is the class to take! If you have taken a class and had wimpy or muddy results, this is the class to take! If you have read about a class where you had to dye thousands of little square samples before you could even think about what you needed to make that quilt you have in mind, this is the class to take! If you want to be able to dye a reasonable approximation of any color you see anywhere, this is the class to take! In five lessons, I explain the process of hand dyeing in simple, safe, clear, easy to remember terms. We make enough dye concentrate in the first class to last us through the whole course – and beyond! You really don’t need to be mixing up dye every single time! There are only a few key factors to successful dyeing and I’ll explain them very clearly, so failure just simply is not an option! We will cover: dye mixing, gradation dyeing, pure versus mixed colors, how to derive your own recipes, how to dye neutrals and why you need them and the benefits of overdyeing. In the last class, working from a color inspiration source, we dye the fabric for your next quilt!

 

 

Day 14

Monday, December 14th, 2015

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Just a quick check in. I want to thank every one for your kind words regarding my post yesterday. I have had a relatively good day, despite the sun still hiding. I rode the exercycle for 20 minutes and then put on my brace and did some work around the house.

We took Scooter for a pretty good walk while I was in the brace and the sun almost tried to break through. At least, it stopped raining.

I got the lost edges quilt sandwiched. Here is the backing.

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I am not thrilled with the quilting of the leaf areas. Not quite sure of the best technique except to do free motion scribbling!! I am doing straight line quilting on the background and did not want to add the tree trunks until the background quilting was done. I used a variegated thread that has all the colors so it contributes to the lost edges as it blends into the background. So I have added the trunks and some leaves over the tops of the trunk. So a good start.

Living Life in the Fast Lane

Thursday, September 24th, 2015

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It has been one of those weeks. I am working on a new landscape quilt whenever I can fit it in. I had a wellness check with my doctor on Monday and lunch with Lisa and Clay. On Tuesday, I had a meeting at Trinity to make plans for out multi-generational classes for this coming year. Yesterday, I spent the morning at the Expo Center hanging the new Oregon SAQA exhibit. That is Kristin LaFlamme in the first photo, hanging my Ode to a Tree Quilt.

Today, I spent most of the day at the show, looking at quilts, shopping and working at the guild booth. The guild has an exhibit titled a river runs through it. I have two quilts in the show. Here are a couple by Terry Grant and I, hanging together. These quilts have been out an about before, but fit the theme. I was disappointed with how this show was hung.

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Here is my old friend, Meander, in the show.

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Here are the results of my retail therapy:

Some lovely hand dyed cottons from my friend Maureen from California. These will fill in some holes in my stash.

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This is a fat quarter bundle of Marcia Derse designed fabrics. She creates one of a kind prints and then they are reproduced as a fabric line by her. Love these colors.

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This is a blurry photo of the landscape quilt I am working on.

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Here is the zigzag free motion stitching that I have done.

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I think I will do some hand stitching. I found some perle cotton at the show and also some teal thread for the sky.

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My Sky Blue Pink quilt made it to New York and has a spot on the exhibit postcard.

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SPUN2015 postcard back_FINALTomorrow, I will be hanging out at home, waiting for my new iPhone and quilting the landscape.

Summer in the City

Friday, September 18th, 2015

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I am keeping busy. I did finish this piece. I am happy with it, I think!! I deliberately kept the composition and quilting simple as my goal was to flatten the picture plane.

I got good news this week, Sky Blue Pink was juried into SPUN, a fiber art exhibit at the Etui Fiber Arts Gallery in Larchmont, NY. I am happy about this because I really love this piece and it is hard to see the beauty of it in a photo.

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It has been a meeting week, SAQA, Trinity class and STASH. I also had a really bad flare up of the arthritis in my left knee. I was doing very well for about a week. It is better today and I am so relieved.

I took my rejected neutral submissions in for critiquing. It was suggested that I change the orientation of Pick Up Sticks. I like it in a vertical orientation.

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It is going to be a great week-end here in the Northwest. I hope you enjoy yours.

Summer in the City

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

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Here is a sketch that I made from this photo, taken when driving into Seattle.

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In my master class we needed to do two sketches, one showing depth and one that was a flattened image. We could choose either one to make a quilt. I chose the flattened one.

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I had some fat quarters of fabric designed my Jay McCarroll, the quilting Project Runway winner. My daughter Lisa gave them to me a while back. Here was my first mock up. I was not happy with that lower left corner so I switched up some fabrics.

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Here is the final layout, on the sewing machine.

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Another quilting image:

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And here is the backside. Quite neat, if I do say so. That is a shadow from the sewing machine on the right.

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I had a busy and lovely week-end. Mr C and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary on Saturday. On Sunday, we had a family dinner at Lisa and Clay’s, our new meeting place. Yesterday, we checked out the annual Art in the Pearl.

Tomorrow, I have to get up early and pull myself together to pick up Elin Noble and drive her to the guild meeting. She is our guest speaker and workshop leader. She is doing an indigo dying workshop, which I passed on.