Diva Works

Needle Felted Faces

2011-07-04T16:32:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a fun little mini-workshop taught by one of the members of the Tavern Spinners and Weavers Guild. Most of the participants were from the felting study group but not all. It only took about three hours including the instruction and it was great fun making these bizarre little caricatures.

Most of that time was spent working on the eyes since the eyes really make the face. Each eye component was needle felted separately, then felted together and then held in place by felted upper and lower lids.

I was the only one in the group who worked with commercially prepared roving because I liked the blended colors and I discovered that it gives the face a very different look. I think the next one I try will be with my home carded fleece.

Aren’t they great?? Scary but great. END OF POST

Remember Paper Dolls?

2011-03-27T17:32:00.016-04:00

I‘ve been so hung up on fiber, I’ve almost forgotten to talk about the quilting. Among my many guild memberships now that I’m in Virginia, I am a member of the Cutting Edge Quilt Guild. The guild focuses on art quilts and the members are an amazingly talented group of women. Each year the group does a group quilt and the quilt for 2009 - 2010 was a paper doll challenge. The product of that challenge is the huge work of art you see before you - Madeleine.

Madeleine is a “paper” doll in the true sense. The clothes you see are attached to the background quilt with velcro dots. They can be removed from the quilt and attached to Madeleine with the same dots. How did this unbelievable quilt come about? Let’s take a look at the work in progress . . .

All of the guild members interested in working on the quilt were divided into four groups of 4-5 quilters. Each group was responsible for the design and construction of a different outfit - leisure outfit, sportswear, casual outfit, formal wear. There was also a group responsible for the construction of the background quilt and Madeleine. In our group we met, decided on the pieces of the outfit and each member chose they element on which they wished to work. The following pictures were taken during a “fitting” before the quilt was completed.

Leisure wear:

Madeleine relaxes in luxurious, silky, oriental lounge pajamas while reading a book. She clutches the mask she’ll use to cover her eyes for her afternoon nap. This group also chose to created new hair and created a hand to allow it to show in front of the pajamas with the book.

Casual wear:

This was my group. For a casual afternoon shopping, Madeleine wears a denim skirt, turtleneck sweater, needle punch vest and boots. The sweater and vest can be switched out for the leather jacket and shirt you see attached to the side. My part was knitting the sweater. Since Madeleine is posed and not symmetric, it was really free-form knitting I’d knit a few rows then fit it to the form to see where I needed to increase or decrease stitches to get the shape right. I won’t bore you with the details of getting the arm right where her elbow is bent but it took a bit of thought.

Sports wear:

Here Madeleine is ready for a trip to a dude ranch complete with fringed western jacket and cowboy boots. She’s even taken time to visit with a calf which was made using needle felting.

Formal wear:

Madeleine is dressed for a Masqued Ball in an elegant strapless dress with matching mask. On the completed quilt you will see that a scarf and red feathers for her hair were added.

Tabs on the clothes are actually part of the background quilt so they remain when the clothes are moved to dress the doll. The quilt was submitted for the Houston quilt show but, alas, was not accepted. It was, however, exhibited at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival and will be traveling for exhibition to a show in Vermont. The unfortunate part of seeing the quilt exhibited is that the viewer does get the full benefit of interacting with it. Don’t ask us where it will ultimately end up. We don’t know yet but I’m extremely proud of the work the guild did.

Felting Study Group

2011-03-22T14:14:00.020-04:00

This year I was responsible for setting up the programs for the Fiver River Guild. As part of that I decide to try setting up study groups that met outside of the guild meetings and studied a particular subject in as much detail as they chose. This year we have four groups meeting - basketry, knitting with color, felting, and lace-making. So far, it seems to be working out really well. Although there’s been no word yet from the knitting group, the basketry group is like the energizer bunny and has gone crazy since they started in September and the felting and lace groups (scheduled to start in January) have begun their meetings.

I’m part of the felting group. We’re meeting once a month for at least five months and dealing with a different form of felting at each meeting. At our first meeting in February, we decided to start with recycling wool sweaters by felting them in the washing machine. I have a bunch of felted sweaters and a few projects completed and underway to be made from those sweaters.

Project #1:

The first product from this adventure is this cover for my appointment book. This started as a small vest and by the time it felted it was miniscule. I barely had enough to do this book. It's not quite as clean and crisp as I would like but even though the sweaters are felted, they are still quite stretchy. The next time I want crisp edges I'll probably use some fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric before cutting and sewing.

I had cut off the ribbing and added it to the flap inside so the cover can be removed and a new book can be inserted each year. Remember the book covers we used to make from brown paper bags? It’s something like that. The leather binding has a leather strip attached to act as a bookmark since I always seem to be rifling through the pages looking for the current week. Next . .

Project #2:

The second project is a work in progress made from this striped sweater. I was looking at it one day and saw the stripes in a basketweave pattern in my head. So I cut the stripes apart and in half and created a woven pattern with the strips for the front of a bag. More pictures to come when it’s completed.

I have learned a few things from this experience:

1. If you don’t want to wreck your washing machine, enclose your sweater in a totally sealed package. I started with two sweaters - each in a zippered lingerie bag. Unfortunately, sweater fibers escaped quite easily through the holes in the bag. Next I tried two sweaters - each in an old pillow case folded over and pinned close. Unfortunately, the machine agitation was able to work the cases open and release the sweater fibers into the machine. I have now bitten the bullet and bought zippered pillow covers. Hopefully, now I won’t have to scoop up floating wool fibers before emptying the machine.

2. All wool sweaters are not created equal. Different sweaters felt differently and at different rates. If you have more than one sweater in the machine, check them each periodically. While one may felt in 10 minutes, another may take 15 or 20. I even had one sweater - labeled 100% virgin wool - which didn’t felt at all after 30 minutes in the washer and an equal amount of time in the dryer. I’m assuming it was washable wool although it didn’t say so.

3. Don’t fall in love with the knitting pattern (e.g., cables). They may be lost when the sweater felts. Patterns in color (fair isle, intarsia) look great.

There are more sweaters felted with projects in mind so I’ll keep you updated. The technique for the second meeting was needle felting which takes a lot more patience than throwing a sweater in the washing machine. I already have a first design in mind. And don't bother to remind me that felting was NOT listed among my goals for 2011.

2011-02-19T14:49:00.003-05:00

As some of you may remember, I set goals for myself in 2009 - fiber projects I wanted to complete during the year. Well, my timing probably wasn’t the best since I was packing up a house I’d lived in for almost 25 years for a move out of state. So, when I didn’t meet those goals I decided to shift them to 2010 - also not the best timing since I was unpacking and decorating the house to which I’d moved. Here we are at 2011 and I think I’ll give it another try. I’m still decorating but it has lost some of it’s urgency. So, here are my new goals for this year. Some of them may look familiar.

Complete a minimum of five (5) UFOs. A UFO is any project that was begun prior to January 1 and was not completed. My previous number was eight but I guess I’m going for a more realistic goal this time. Of course there is no reason that I need to stop at five when I get there (not “if”, but “when”).

Make at least 2 garments. There was a time when I made almost everything I wore. That was many years ago before my many interests and my income grew. There was a time when I would look at an item in the department store and tell myself that I could make that. As I had more money and less time the question changed from whether I could make it to whether I would. Then came catalogs making the shopping even easier. Well, I'm going back to creating my own garments and this is the start.

Begin work on historic costume. One of my fellow members in the Tavern Spinners and Weavers Guild and I have discussed spinning, weaving, and making a historic costume for when we do demonstrations at the historic tavern in Heathsville. Time to stop talking and start doing.

Design and complete a Barack Obama quilt. I spent the first five years of my life in St. Louis, MO. On my fourth birthday we had a party and the second part was to take everyone to the movies. At some point during the party, my mother and our next-door neighbor (who was white) realized that the party would have to split up for the movies since the white kids and the black kids couldn't go to the same theater. Although I grew up in New York City (Queens) and have spent my adult years in New Jersey, the northeast didn't eliminate incidents of discrimination from my life. I say all this to let you know that if anyone had asked me if I would see an African-American president in my lifetime I would have said "no" without hesitation. I feel I must commemorate this election and, of course, my thoughts turn to fabric. So I'm working on a design and my goal is to complete this quilt during the first year of his term. I did get as far as completing two designs during 2009 but never actually began work on the quilts. this year I’ll choose a design and get to work.

Knit a pair of socks. I've wanted to do this for a long time and I've recently been reading about the magic loop method of knitting 2 socks at the same time on circular needles. I did get as far as buying yarn and a good sock book. So, again, I’m ready to start.

Well, that’s it. Wish me luck. END OF POST

The Gathering

2010-10-23T15:15:00.025-04:00

Well, folks, I’m back and I now live in Virginia. The packing, moving, unpacking, painting, plumbing repairs, closet remodeling, curtain buying and hanging, and (blessedly) fiber and quilting guild meetings, have been all consuming leaving very little time for contributing to this blog. Additionally, unless you have a strong interest in home improvement, I really have had little to share.

This week one of my fiber guilds held a natural dyeing workshop at a local farm and it seems appropriate forthis to mark my return to blogging. It was like an old country gathering - women arriving (in cars instead of wagons) carrying their folding chairs, dyepots, gas burners, yarn and fiber for dyeing, and the products of nature with which they wished to dye. We set up outside on a beautiful sunny day and everyone worked to get the dyepots going.

The gathering

Dyestuff for the pots

Cate watches the pots

Until this experience, I have been a chemical dye girl - obtaining predictable, reproducible colors. Natural dyeing is anything but predictable and reproducible. I contributed a black walnut dye made from the walnut trees in my yard. We ended up with a great variety of dyes with which to experiment:

black walnut

onion skins

cochenille

hops

tumeric

indigo

safflower

pokeberry

pecan

I made little sample skeins of my handspun Finn and mordanted two sets - one set with alum and one with copper sulfate. I also cut 4 inch squares of cotton fiber which were treated with the same to mordants. I was interested to see how well the dyes would work on cotton. So, into each pot I put and alum skein and square and a copper sulfate skein and square. I have some interesting results to show you.

Black walnut

I love the two colors produced by the two mordants. I have a sweater pattern which I think will look great with these colors. Although the mordants produced two very different colors when dyeing wool, the cotton samples are almost identical. That proved to be the case with all of the cotton samples.

Onion skins

Even though I was aware of onion skins as a natural dye, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of color obtained by the use of something I’ve been throwing in the garbage - a beautiful light gold with the alum and a darker gold with copper sulfate. As with the walnut, the mordants made no difference with the cotton squares.

Cochenille

We were told that the cochenille bath had been used before and I suspect it was nearly exhausted. Where I should have gotten crimson with alum and burgundy with copper, I only got paler versions of those colors. I’ll have to buy some cochenille and try it. Again, no difference on the cotton.

Tumeric

suspect most of us have a bottle of tumeric in our spice cabinet that we bought for a specific recipe and never used again. Well, if you want to use it for dyeing, it yields a lovely clear yellow with alum and a light olive with copper, and a clear yellow on cotton with both mordants.

Indigo

The indigo pot had also been used before and was close to exhaustion by the time I got my samples in but I still got a lovely light blue. It’s like magic to dip in the indigo bath and then watch the blue develop as the sample is exposed to air.

Pecan

The pecan husks yielded two browns similar to the walnut but with a green undertone. The difference is very evident in the cotton squares although the two mordants are still identical.

Safflower

One of guild members who couldn’t come sent a huge bag of safflowers. The color obtained was a tone somewhere between the gold of the onion skins and the yellow of the tumeric. The cotton squares, however, are a pale peach.

My introductory foray into natural dyeing was a huge success. I may actually be a convert from chemical dyes - at least occasionally. At least as successful as the dyeing was the gathering itself. This was a lovely day spent outside with friends, dyepots, and sunshine. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Blog Space-holder

2009-06-01T09:37:00.019-04:00

I haven't posted anything for quite a while. I haven't had time to do anything fun since I've been too busy trying to make my NJ house look like nobody lives here for real estate showings. I guess I didn't have a true understanding of how hard that would be - since someone does live here. So when I do get it to look unoccupied, I'm closing the door on it, going to Virginia, and leaving it to the house-hungry buyers.

I didn't want you think I was abandoning the blog, however, so I thought I'd post a non-art related entry just to keep in touch. Last week I took a break and we went to visit the Presby Iris Garden. The weather wasn't perfect but not bad enough to ruin the day and the irises were amazing.

Irises have always been high on my favorites list and this trip helped me visualize a swath of irises across the lawn in Virginia. Click on any of the photos for a better view.

Then there is the main reason this house thing is taking me so long. I've always been a fairly voracious reader and lately I've been downright addicted. The reason for this?? My new Amazon Kindle. When the first one was released I turned up my nose and told myself that I needed paper in my hands. So I went to the library and bought books and added to my huge book collection. Packing up things in the house opened my eyes. I ended up donating boxes and boxes to the Salvation Army when I bit the bullet and talked myself out of keeping books I had read multiple times or books I was never going to read again. So I started to rethink my need for paper and then the Kindle 2 was released. God, I love this Kindle. I won't bore you with all the things I like about it. My best friend is calling me a "book traitor" but, suffice it to say, it has turned a voracious reader into an insatiable reader - at least until the novelty wears off. END OF POST

The Block Swap In Which I Am Not Participating

2009-04-26T12:31:00.010-04:00

OK, OK, I AM participating in a block swap. A few years ago I vowed never to do one again. The postcards were time consuming enough and then I have to figure out how to use them in a project that doesn't involve lining them up with sashing. However, my online group decided to do an appliqued fabric interpretation of the Obama logo and, since I could see using them in my Obama quilt project (see my 2009 goals), I signed up. I was also interested in the fact that the swap involved two interpretations of the logo.

Group one is doing a fairly conventional interpretation using blue and red batik fabrics on a cream tone-on-tone background.

This one is respectful of the original but the only creative option is your choice of batik fabric (and, of course, the neutral background).

The second group, however, is the one I'm anxious to see ....... the logo done in African fabrics without regard to colors.

As you can see, my block pays homage to my love of earth tones. But I'm anticipating a riot of colors from the other members of my group. I already have an idea of how to use them in my project. I'm not guaranteeing there'll be no sashing, but hopefully it will include something else. After this, I'm back on the wagon - NO MORE BLOCK SWAPS.

2009-04-11T14:51:00.007-04:00

I've finished another project. I know it's not on my list but I love it. It's a pattern I downloaded from the internet, started it while I was in Virginia and I worked on it whenever I sat down to watch TV. The scarf is knitted with short rows on both sides so the additional rows make the edges ruffle.

It is knit with one strand of alpaca and one strand of mohair.

I've also knit my first pair of gloves to match the scarf and they turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. With my usual perfect timing, I have finished them just in time for spring. Fortunately, winter will come again and I have something to look forward to. END OF POST

A Month In Virginia And Guild Discoveries

2009-03-10T22:32:00.018-04:00

Bedroom view

I've been at the Virginia house for 2 weeks now and last Monday we got 5" of snow!! For New Jersey that's no big deal but here on the Virginia coast it's a little less common. Of course, I didn't bring boots but I took pictures out the windows. What a thrill not having sidewalks to shovel.

Kitchen view

Well, I've found my kindred spirits here in Virginia. It's kind of a story . . . .
On my spinning list someone posted something about the Northern Neck of Virginia. Well, no one calls this part of Virginia the Northern Neck unless they live here. So I emailed her and she told me about two fiber guilds practically down the road from me. She invited me to visit her guild and emailed the president of the other one who also invited me to their meeting.

So, this past Sunday I visited the Tavern Spinners and Weavers Guild which meets at a historic tavern in Heathsville. I was warmly welcomed and there wasn't a single awkward "getting-to-know-you" moment. They were having a silent auction with donated fiber goodies instead of a regular meeting so the time was spent bidding, spinning, and talking.

I brought my electric spinner down since there was no way I was going to get a wheel in the car which was already loaded to the gills.

Monday, I visited the Five Rivers Guild which meets in Wicomico. Again, I was warmly welcomed and there were at least 4 or 5 women who were former NJ residents. After show and tell, one of the women who had been a dye consultant in Guatemala did a presentation of her Guatemalan textiles.

I'm now on email lists for the guilds and have met some very nice people. I'm feeling pretty good about the move.

Just wanted to show you a project I started while I've been here. I'm knittinf an interesting scarf (picture when it's finished) and decided to knit my first pair of gloves to go with it. I was a little nervous but it's turning out to be easier than I thought and as you can see I have two fingers. I'll show you the set when I'm done. It's back to NJ soon. The post office will only hold your mail for 30 days.

2009-02-11T17:34:00.004-05:00

Well, I now have one tick on my list of goals for 2009. I've finished the sweater knit from my hand spun llama. It's a longer version of the sweater pictured in the pattern (I need something that comes to my hips). I love the color inconsistencies.

There's crocheted trim around the sweater with picot at the neck and sleeves and metal irregularly shaped buttons. I haven't worn it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

One UFO down and seven to go. END OF POST

Black History Month 2009

2009-02-02T19:55:00.011-05:00

The 2009 card for Balck History Month is finished. It is about Phillis Wheatley (spelled the way it was originally spelled) who was the first black poet to be published. Her book of poetry was published in London in 1773 - almost 100 years before the Civil War. She was kidnapped from her family in West Africa at the age of 7 or 8 and was purchased by a Boston family, the Wheatleys. "Phillis" was the name of the slave ship on which she was transported. The Wheatleys broke with convention and educated her in English, Latin, and philosphy. By the age of 14 she was writing poetry in the style of the period. My mother decided to name me for her.

This card is a bit different . . . it has a leather pocket with an insert which can be removed. The insert has one of her poems one side. The other side contains part of a letter she wrote during the revolution pointing out the inconsistency in th viewpoint held by the colonists. While they were willing to fight for their own freedom, they had no problem denying blacks their freedom.

Because of the insert I think I'm going to have to mail these in an envelope. I have these great cellophane envelopes that work well for these cards. Anyway, now that these are finished, it's back to the 2009 goals and the block swap I signed up for.

Did I forget to mention the block swap? I promised myself that I'd do no more block swaps so I could devote more time to my original quilts. I must say I stuck to that promise for quite some time. However, the online group is swapping applique blocks of the Obama logo.

I find the logo to be an interesting part of the Obama phenomenon. It's the first time I can remember a presidential candidate who was so well marketed that his logo almost lends him brand recognition.
So I thought I'd sign up and see what I could do with these blocks. So back to the 2009 goals AND the block swap.

Can Anyone Add More Hours To The Day?

2009-01-30T09:53:00.006-05:00

I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Wednesday so maybe I need more days in the week instead of more hours in the day. I was working away on my UFOs when I suddenly realized it was the middle of January and I had signed up for the Black History Month postcard exchange. I dropped everything and started the work. I had already designed them in my head and done much of my research but sometimes the implementation doesn't work out like the plan in your head. This time I was lucky and everything is going smoothly. I'll have something to show you by Monday. Aside from the artistic adventure, I learn a lot from these cards - not just from the ones I receive but also from the ones I make when I research my subject.

I did finish my sweater!! Just have to buy and sew on the right buttons before I can truly call it finished and I won't post pictures until then. As with many projects, there are things in the pattern I would do differently if I had it to do over. But I'm happy with it and I'll show it to you when the buttons are on.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the first sweater knit from my handspun at least 25 years ago. It's so warm, I can shovel snow in it without wearing a coat. END OF POST

2009 Goals - Progress Report #1

2009-01-11T12:37:00.017-05:00

Goal: Barack Obama quilt

Here is the beginning of my Obama quilt. I decided to use the McDowell technique to reproduce the picture of the family at Grant Park on election night. I'm hoping to take Ruth McDowell's workshop again this year and want to have the drawing finished so I can get some advice from her before I start the fabric part. There are still a lot more lines to draw and some major finessing to do but I think it's going to work. I'll probably change the color of the clothing - too much red and black. To be honest, I hate that sweet little girl in black and I still haven't figured out Michelle's dress. But I'll call that "artist's prerogative".

Goal: UFO completion - Llama sweater

I was perilously close to finishing the sweater knit from my handspun llama that I started on the Japan trip in October until . . . . I ran out of yarn. Fortunately, there's more llama fiber left so I'm back to the spinning wheel and should have enough yarn by next week to finish it.

If you remember, the pattern called for a sweater knit from 2 strands of different colored yarn. When I knitted the gauge swatch from my handspuns - llama and white merino - it was much too dense and heavy. Handspun has a lot less air in it and so tends to be more dense. So I decided to use just a single strand of the llama and it is a perfect weight. Though it has lost a bit of the drama of the sweater in the picture, I still love it.

I had enough yarn to finish the crocheting at the shoulders and sleeves but ran out on my first round of the rest of the sweater. Once I have some more yarn, it shouldn't take me long to finish.

I think I'll send the finished sweater to the dry cleaner. They do a great job on my sweaters and I think they'll give it a more finished look - tone down the rustic handspun just a tad.

2009-01-05T20:32:00.015-05:00

2009

Someone on my quilt list posted her goals for 2009. I think we all need something to aspire to and lists help to keep me on track. I'm not going to call these New Year's resolutions because they are tasks that can be accomplished and when they are they can be crossed off the list. So here they are.

Goals for 2009

Sell my New Jersey house. I know this is not entirely under my control but my goal is to do everything under my control to make this happen. I fooled around in 2008 and didn't get it done. That will change in 2009.

Complete a minimum of eight (8) UFOs. A UFO is any project that was begun prior to January 1 and was not completed. I must, in all honesty, tell you that completing 8 is a drop in the bucket and that number is really arbitrary. However, I tried to choose a number that is significant but attainable.

Make at least 2 garments. There was a time when I made almost everything I wore. That was many years ago before my many interests and my income grew. There was a time when I would look at an item in the department store and tell myself that I could make that. As I had more money and less time the question changed from whether I could make it to whether I would. Then came catalogs making the shopping even easier. Well, I'm going back to creating my own garments and this is the start.
Weave at least 2 projects. I'm not going to define the projects since I have a few ideas of things I'd like to do. I've been so hung up on other things I've neglected weaving but I need to get back to it.
Knit a pair of socks. I've wanted to do this for a long time and I've recently been reading about the magic loop method of knitting 2 socks at the same time on circular needles. I've also just discovered sock blanks that allow you to custom dye your yarn and then knit a pair of socks that are identical in color patterning. This will be my year to give it a try.
Design and complete a Barack Obama quilt. I spent the first five years of my life in St. Louis, MO. On my fourth birthday we had a party and the second part was to take everyone to the movies. At some point during the party, my mother and our next-door neighbor (who was white) realized that the party would have to split up for the movies since the white kids and the black kids couldn't go to the same theater. Although I grew up in New York City (Queens) and have spent my adult years in New Jersey, the northeast didn't eliminate incidents of discrimination from my life. I say all this to let you know that if anyone had asked me if I would see an African-American president in my lifetime I would have said "no" without hesitation. I feel I must commemorate this election and, of course, my thoughts turn to fabric. So I'm working on a design and my goal is to complete this quilt during the first year of his term.

So, that's it - my goals for 2009. I'll be posting my progress on these goals and we'll do an assessment at the end of the year. Wish me luck. END OF POST

2008-12-14T22:00:00.014-05:00

I haven't had much to say but I've been working hard. The Christmas postcards are completed and will go in the mail tomorrow. They're pieced and padded with a little felt to make them slightly puffy. The members of the group like to have them just mailed so they are postmarked. But I have these great cellophane envelopes I'm going to use. The Christmas mail is so crazy I'm worried about them getting damaged. So I'll have each card hand canceled and them mail them in the envelope. I've made 30 cards so my best friends will be receiving them also. A few of them already have a complete collection of my cards since I always make a few extra to share with them.

I've also started some preliminary work on my next "Ruth McDowell" project.

When I was taking the workshop, the first day was spent with a ruler and pencil tracing the photo and then drawing lines on tracing paper over the tracing to make it pieceable. It occurred to me that I could use the EQ6 tracing capability to do the same thing much faster by skipping the first tracing step and drawing the lines directly over the photo. So, I'm trying it with this project and I can't believe how much easier it is. This is what the working grid looks like in EQ6 with the imported photo in the background:

Here's what the drawing will look like which I will eventually print and enlarge to actual project size:

This is just a rough first attempt and will definitely need finessing but I did this in about 45 minutes versus the hours it took me using paper and pencil. After the holidays, I'll get back to the spice quilt and finish the sweater I'm knitting from my handspun llama - the back and fronts are finished.

I usually don't post non-art related topics. But I'm so happy with the construction on my house. A previous post shows the demo process and the unfinished porch. Well, the porch is finished and I can only say I wish I had done this years ago. I love it. Not only does it change the exterior of the house but the interior as well. I didn't realize how much the 2-story enclosed porch cut off light. The entry hall and the second floor hall are so much brighter - especially the second floor where a window replaced the door onto the porch and it is open to the sun. In the spring I'll refresh the mulch and maybe even plant boxes for the railing.

Holiday cards are in the Works

2008-11-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

My friends know that I am unbelievably inconsistent when it comes to sending Christmas cards. I'll go for five years without sending a card and then, all of a sudden, I'll send them out. Last year was our first year my online group exchanged fabric Christmas cards (see my 1/4/08 post). I made a few extra and sent them to my closest friends. Totally contrary to my usual way of doing things, I started working on this year's cards right after I returned from Japan.

I decided to make 30 cards. The exchange group is small this year and the rest will go to my friends. WHO KNEW 30 CARDS WERE GOING TO BE THIS MUCH WORK!! I decided to make pieced cards this time and I'm paper piecing an angel pattern from Quilt University. The pattern has 12 units and I have little pieces all over the workroom though I'm trying to stay organized with envelopes. Just imagine all these pieces in a 4"x6" card.

On top of everything else, I'm having major construction on my house. I live in a 100+ year old house. It had a 2 story enclosed porch that was on the verge of collapsing. I decided to replace it with a single story open porch.

Early demolition

New porch

I'm thrilled with the way it's turning out. It's much more in keeping with the house and I'm getting favorable comments from the neighbors and even the mailman.

I love doing cards and sharing them with friends but I think I'm ready to get back to larger work. Can't wait to finish these and get back to my spice quilt. I need to see it finished.

I'm Baaaack (with Japanese fabric)

2008-11-06T21:40:00.006-05:00

So, I'm back from Japan. It was a wonderful trip. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Mt Fuji (where it unfortunately rained the whole time), Kahone, Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, and Osaka. The Japanese people were wonderful. If they saw you standing on the street with a map, someone would come up and try to help. They even would walk you to where you wanted to go. As some of you may know, I was on a fabric quest and turned out o be more difficult than I anticipated. I was looking for traditional Japanese fabric. First, it was not that easy to find since traditional Japanese dress is worn infrequently. Second, when I did find kimono tailors, much of the fabric was extremely expensive which is one of the reasons kimonos are not worn as much now. A kimono can easily cost $1,000. Anyway, click below to see the treasures I did find.

These four fabrics are called kasuri. It is the Japanese ikat weave and each of the fabrics seen here is woven as double ikat. The warp and weft are both indigo dyed before weaving leaving the design portions undyed. The trick is to get the weft to cross the warp so that the undyed areas meet forming a white design. Double ikat weaving is not for the faint of heart and it seems that professional Japanese weavers are disappearing - the unfortunate fate of many handcrafts.

This is an antique kasuri from a kimono. You can see that the weaving is not really precise and there are random white streaks where the warp and weft areas didn't meet - that's part of the appeal.

These fabrics are shibori dyed - a form of Japanese tie-dyeing. The design is stitched on the fabric and the thread is pulled tightly. When dyed, the tightly bunched areas resist the dye and when the thread is released the designs are visible.

This piece of fabric is resist dyed using rice paste. Where the rice paste is applied the fabric does not take up the dye. This fabric required at least 2 applications of resist to get the two different blues.

This is the one kimono fabric I bought at a tailor's in Tokyo. The fabrics are 14" wide on a roll. Each roll holds is 12 1/2 meters which is the amount needed to make a kimono so they will not cut it and sell by the meter. That's one of the reasons I only bought one - what would I do with all that fabric? But I couldn't resist buying at least one roll. I love the chrysanthemum pattern and I already have the pattern selected.

Well, I think I have enough fabric to keep me busy for a while (as if I didn't already) and I already have projects in mind for some of them. So, keep looking for them. They'll appear here when you least expect it.

Spice Quilt on Hold

2008-10-08T23:31:00.009-04:00

I've put the workshop project on hold and I'm spinning away to complete yarn for a sweater. I have a stash of llama that I bought on Ebay and I've been washing and carding it. It's really beautifully soft and very easy to spin.

In a little more than a week we leave for a vacation in Japan. I figure with all that travel time I could practically finish an entire sweater. So I've decided to take supplies to work on this sweater that I've been drooling over for ages.

I've decided to knit it with the llama and and some merino I got from Coppermoose and I am furiously spinning to complete the yarn to take with me. The body of the sweater is knit with one strand of each yarn. I need to finish the yarn, set the spin, and figure out the gauge so I'll know what needles to take.

I'm waiting for the fabric I ordered for the spice vendor to arrive. So, until it arrives I'll just keep spinning.

The Next In The Series

2008-09-29T19:17:00.004-04:00

OK, here it is - the next picture in the China series. I think I'll do this Chinese market picture next. It'll be interesting - a much more monochromatic photograph in contrast to the vivid colors I'm working on now. The challenge here is how to do the eggs.

The search is still on for the skin fabric for the spice vendor. I haven't found anything in the stash. I see a fabric purchase in my future. END OF POST

The Work Continues

2008-09-26T10:19:00.006-04:00

I'm still working away and progress is being made. The top half is still just pinned to the wall and I still have adjustments to make (like the flat bottom of the bag to the right) but I think it's looking good. I've reached the real test - the spice vendor - and the search is on for the right skin fabric. I need something that distinguishes him from the dark background but leaves him in shadow.

I'm really loving this and my mind is already designing the next piece in the China series and multiple subsequent projects. I haven't been this inspired for quite some time. END OF POST

The Dream Studio

2008-09-21T18:49:00.010-04:00

This is a follow-up on my previous post showing my current studio space. Eventually, I'll be moving to Virginia, though things seem to keep delaying that move. Anyway, though the house is large, there is no single room to accomodate my many addictions. Because I have 6 acres available, I've decided to build a free-standing dream studio and set out to develop a floor plan to determine how much space I'd need.

This is my first plan - a single large room with a bathroom. The floorplan is set up with functional areas for each craft. Click on the plan to see it larger. I measured everything and added a wet area for dyeing which I currently don't have.

I was very happy with the work I'd done on this plan until I saw some buildings made by a company called Garden Sheds in my Fine Gardening magazine. This is a picture of one of their models. They are beautiful and they are built and shipped to the site ready to occupied. Because they are pre-built, the size limitation is 13' x 30' - not nearly large enough for all my stuff. So I thought maybe I could buy two and combine them the space I'd need. So here is the second iteration of the dream studio. Click to enlarge.

I decided to place the two buildings at right angles to each other with a connection built that will house the bathroom. The open rafters will make the building seem spacious and I love the look.

Ultimately the deciding factor will be the cost, as with most things in life. I was leaning toward plan 2 until I took another look at plan 1 before posting. Now I'm not so sure. Which do you like best?

2008-09-19T15:58:00.000-04:00

I'm working on my workshop piece a couple of hours a day and I'm really starting to like it. I'm determined not to add this to the UFO list and so I'm working steadily and will try to do so until it is finished. The bottom sections are sewn together but the top sections are just pinned to the design wall and so do not line up perfectly. There are definitely some things I would have done differently but only one I feel strongly about - strong enough to take apart seams to change it.

I don't like the perfectly flat bottom on the sack in the top row to the far right. I find it very distracting. I think I will angle the bottom as indicated by the green dotted line in the picture. There are a couple of other places where I feel the color line should be continuous across the piece. Ruth gave the alternative of appliqueing pieces over the one you want to change and there is at least one place where I think I will do that.

The other area of concern is that big blank space in the background. I'm trying to decide if and how to piece it. So far, I'm avoiding it since I haven't come up with any brilliant ideas.

I'll eventually have to deal with the section in the upper right of the design which is the spice vendor. The bags are one thing - a person is something all together different. But I forge ahead bravely - anxious to see how this will all come out in the end.

Back From the Ruth McDowell Workshop

2008-09-17T18:47:00.007-04:00

On Monday I returned from a 5-day workshop with Ruth McDowell. The picture above is of one her wonderful pieces. I’ve long been a admirer of her work and this was a fabulous opportunity. A lot of Ruth’s work is characterized by her conversion of curved lines to straight lines allowing her to piece images that would normally be appliqued. This conversion to straight line also lends her images a somewhat abstract appearance which I think is the element I enjoy about her quilts.

On a practical level, Ruth is a very down-to-earth instructor who allows her students to take risks. There were 10 people in the workshop - 5 of them were what Ruth calls her “remedial” students which means they have taken this workshop at least once before. So, they came with drawings and ideas ready to go. Then there were those of us who walked in with one (or more) photo ideas and no idea whether they were actually doable.

The workshop was held at a lovely quilt shop called A Notion to Quilt. If you are ever in Shelburne, MA stop by. The owners and staff made us feel quite welcome even baking for us.

The Process

I spent most of the first 2 days preparing the templates. I brought some pictures from my 2001 trip to China that I would like to do as a series and we chose a marketplace picture of spices. Once we decided in the picture the next step was a line drawing followed by converting the curves to straight line. At this point I began to have serious doubts about my choice as the photo became unrecognizable. I filled in the bags with a little color to give myself some frame of reference. The line drawing was then enlarged to finished size and traced on freezer paper.

Pam: Pam is a remedial student and was using that photo of a beautiful flower with a very long name. The colors were beautiful and the fabric audition process was very intense but it’s going to be gorgeous when completed.

Norma: Norma, also a remedial student, was also doing flowers but with a much less conventional take on her photo. I love the way her leaves are pieced and the “broken” border.

Cynthia: Cynthia brought a picture of garlic chives whose flowers could really not be pieced so her work became an impressionist representation of the flowers.

Teresa: Teresa brought a landscape photo with trees in the foreground and a mountains and sky panorama. The treatment of the foreground trees was well done and you really feel the depth of field.

Ann: Ann’s photo was of 2 barn owls and her’s was
probably the largest piece. She has taken this workshop many times and came with her drawing ready to go as did Pam, Norma, Susan and Maggie.

Beth: Beth and I had facing tables and enjoyed ourselves. We discovered that we had quilting, dyeing, and blogging in common. She chose to reproduce the photo of a pelican using a mixture of commercial and her hand-dyed fabric. She did a fabulous job of reproducing the feathers and her hand-dyed in the beak was was a perfect touch of color.

Me: As I said, when I translated my line drawing into straight line I had my doubts. The process of auditioning fabric for the bags and spices was fun and I loved the colors. I wasn’t feeling much better when my first spice bag was added in the lower right corner. It kind iof looked like a bird’s nest sitting there.

However, by the time we did our final wrap-up I was feeling better. More bags were added and the pieces of the sections had been sewn together although each section was still separate and the picture started to come together. I have it up on my design wall and I’m anxious to continue the work.

The bags do look flat and I think that quilting is going to be really important to this piece to add dimension to the bags and add shadows and folds.

I had a great time in this class and may have to become a remedial student. Ruth has five classes scheduled for Massachusetts for 2009 - three in Deerfield and two at this shop in Shelburne.

My Creative Space

2008-08-17T19:36:00.022-04:00

This post has been up for a while but I thought I'd list it for the Interweave Press Virtual Tour. I'll only have this space for a couple more months since I'll be moving to Virginia. If you have some time, check out the floorplan options for my Virginia studio.

While I finish some more projects to show you, I thought I’d share with you my current workspace. I say current because later I’ll show you the “dream studio” plan. My New Jersey house is a 112 year old Victorian with three floors and a basement. I’ve been using the third floor as my studio and I consider myself fortunate to have this dedicated space. I have three rooms and a bath up there and I can make a mess and no one will see. I tend to be somewhat preoccupied with organization. With all the things I do and the supplies required to do them, I guess things could get major out of control if I wasn’t. I know some people love it but I’m not a fan of open storage since I can’t figure out how people keep their yarn and fabric from getting dusty. So, I spend a lot of time figuring out how to conveniently stash my stuff away.

Quilting and sewing

Over the years I’ve become a lover of kitchen cabinets for the studio space storage. My cutting table is 2 base cabinets with a plywood top. It is a great back-saver at counter height and I’ve added a stool in case I want to sit. But I always cut standing.

The sewing machine table was bought years ago from a friend who was selling her studio furniture. It’s actually multiple cabinets that you can configure as you like with a separate top. The top has a cut-out for a machine and an electric lift but the long sewing bed on my Janome has a drawback - it doesn’t fit the opening. There are a lot more pieces to this furniture but they are already in Virginia waiting for the new space.

Storage

In the hall between the rooms I have a kitchen pantry purchased from Home Depot used to store fabric sorted by color. There’s also a closet under the eaves and my warping reel on the landing. I’ve long since outgrown the pantry storage but most of my fabric is packed in anticipation of the move to Virginia. I knew that packing the studio would be the biggest challenge so I started a while ago. I miss my fabric but I knew I had enough UFOs to keep me busy until the move.

Computer/Office

This room is an octagon located in the turret. It’s a neat room and I feel comfortable and cozy here.

Weaving/spinning/knitting

I have 3 floor looms - a 4-harness Hammett counterbalance, a 8-harness unnamed (that I couldn’t get up to the third floor), and my baby - an 8 harness Schacht high castle.

I also have 2 spinning wheels - an Ashford traditional that I purchased as a kit on my first trip to New Zealand more than 20 years ago and my second baby - my Schacht double treadle wheel that I keep downstairs so I can spin while watching TV.

I bought more Home Depot cabinets - this time wall cabinets that I stacked for yarn storage. I got the optional glass doors so I can see the yarn colors.

So, that's my current space. I have 2 alternative floorplans for the new studio space in Virginia. I just have to figure out which will be the least expensive way to build it. I’ll share the plans later.

Blacks in the Military - another fabric postcard

2008-08-14T23:36:00.007-04:00

This is our first year doing a postcard for Veteran’s Day focusing on blacks in the military. The pictures on my card come from the government's 1992 Veteran’s Day poster.

I really struggled with this one - coming up with some elaborate plans that just weren’t doable. I finally had to simplify the plan and ended up cutting the pilot's helmet out of some suede I had on hand and appliqueing it to the image fused to the card. Then I decided not to zigzag the edge and wrapped the fabric. I was then faced with the problem of how to attach the postcard back. After struggling with 2 fabric backs, I finally decided to print on paper instead to provide a cleaner look to the back and speed up the process.

My list sisters are working on another card. This one is a “do-your-own-thing” - no mandated theme. I chose not participate in this one. I think I’m postcard burned out - at least until the signup for the holiday card begins. Like last year, I think I will also make these my personal Christmas card. So, as soon as I get these in the mail tomorrow, I will begin the Christmas card design process.

I’m really excited! In September I will be attending a five-day workshop in Massachusetts with Ruth Mc Dowell . I really love her work (see photos at left and below) particularly her botanicals. The workshop will teach how to take a photograph and convert it to a quilt. Her quilts are usually not photorealistic (although the stone wall is pretty close)but that is their appeal. I had tried to register for it at the beginning of the year only to discover it was full. I put my name on the waiting list and a spot opened up for me about 2 months ago. I’m really looking forward to it.

Experiment

2008-08-08T16:27:00.013-04:00

I've been experimenting with quilt design. This is a "4-line" design I learned at a quilt retreat. First I drew 4 lines in a block - just 4 random lines. One of mine in this design is a curved line.

I then cut out multiple copies of the block and arranged them, changing the orientation to to see what pattern emerged. Kind of interesting.

This is the product of my experiment. I like it enough to to have made it larger but, unfortunately, I ran out of fabric. This is exactly why I don't usually buy fat quarters. I love the floral print. It's like a William Morris floral but I only had a fat quarter and don't know who the manufacturer is. Oh, well. Just what I need - another top to sandwich, quilt, and bind.

I've also started washing and carding some of the raw fleece I've bought on Ebay. I have brown merino wool, white merino wool, alpaca, Romney wool, and llama. A while ago I also bought a new Strauch drum carder. It is fabulous and I'm now carding some llama. I think I mentioned it in my previous post as a possible yarn for my sweater. It's beautiful and unbelievably soft.

I think I've decided on this for my sweater. I can't wait to start spinning it.

Has It Been That Long . . .

2008-07-23T12:33:00.034-04:00

. . . since I last posted? Time to come back and talk about my projects in progress. Thought I'd start out by refreshing the appearance of the blog. How's the new look?

I visited the blog of someone on my Yahoo list and she had the tarot card posted so I took the test and you can see the result in the sidebar. I think it sounds like me - Empress? I think I'm going to have to upgrade my surroundings :-)

Well, even though I haven't posted, I have been doing some things. My online group has been feeding its postcard addiction and we traded cards for Black Music Month in June. I've also been spinning yarn for a sweater and I'm currently taking an online doll class.

Spinning

A while ago I found this wonderful site with free knitting patterns and I fell in love with this sweater. So, I decided to spin some of my stockpile of roving and fleece for it. The yarn I came up with is a heathery, taupe Blue-faced Leicester plyed with white Shetland and 2-ply BFL for the edging. I am happy with the yarn.

Now I'm beginning to have second thoughts. I'm carding some recently washed llama and I began to think I might like to knit it from the gray llama and white merino - decisions, decisions.

Black Music Month Postcard

After our card exchange in February, we've just completed another in June. In 2002, President Bush proclaimed the month of June Black Music Month. Below is an excerpt from the 2008 Presidential Proclamation.

Throughout the course of American history, black musicians have used their great talents to share the richness of the African-American experience and to develop a uniquely American style of music enjoyed throughout the world. This month, we honor the pioneers of African-American music and today's contemporary artists who have enriched the lives of people everywhere.

My choice for this year's card was Otis Redding. The impact of his music is such that most people don't realize that he only recorded for 4 years and that one of his biggest hits, "Dock of the Bay", was released a year after his death.

Well, the postcard challenges never end. I'm currently finishing up a card with a Blacks in the military theme for Veteran's Day. It's a little late but I should have it finished next week.

Doll-making class online - a new challenge for me

One of the people on my quilt list is a doll maker and she mentioned a class that was being offered online. When I saw the doll, I had to take the class. Although she's a little glitzy for me, I could visualize an earthier version - with a touch of glitz. So, I immediately signed up and I'm now in the process of putting her together. More to come when she's finished.

Traveling quilt tops

2008-02-26T17:44:00.013-05:00

I arrived at the Virginia house on Saturday and saw the house for the first time in the winter. Not much to see but I miss the green of the trees seen in this picture. As usual, I brought some projects to work on. I seem to get a lot more done when I'm here - free from distractions and with a clarity of creative thought. I just hope that remains once I move here. Anyway, two quilt tops are moving on to the next stage.

I've tackled my least favorite quilt job - making the sandwich - and I've discovered that working on the bed has made the process a lot easier. When the backing is spread out on the wool blanket it sticks and I am able to lay out the backing totally free of wrinkles. Since basting the sandwich is too tedious for words, it is easily pinned once the three layers have been laid out.

This is Michael's quilt shown in a previous post while in progress. I am sooooo happy with the way it turned out. The dupioni silk is just the right touch against the tie fabric. It's sandwiched now and I can begin the hand quilting while I'm here.

This is the other top shown in a previous post and its now ready for quilting. The adinkra symbols will be added to the solid blocks and hand quilted. I want to quilt the entire hanging by hand but I'm worried that all the seams will make that difficult but I think I'll try and I can always turn to machine quilting, if necessary. In fact, now that I think about it, machine quilting with a rayon colored thread might make it more exciting. Hmmm, not a bad idea.

Black History Month - 2008

2008-02-19T22:41:00.011-05:00

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since my first artist postcard. The online quilt group decided to make them for black history month in 2007. Most of us, including me, had never made one before but we quickly found out that they are habit-forming. Next was the card commemorating african-american music. Then we made cards for Christmas. And now we're back to Black History Month. The picture to the left is of a young Marian Anderson. She was a mezzo-soprano who blazed the way for performers like Leontyne Price and Kathleen Battle with a quiet, non-confrontational dignity. With a mother who was an opera singer, hers is a name and a voice I grew up with.

My card was made with a coppery silk background to which an image of sheet music was fused. Two pictures of Marian Anderson were added and outlined with copper metalic satin stitch. The quote from Toscaniniwas from the time she spent touring Europe in the 1930's where racism had less of an impact on her career than it did in the United States.

The back of the card gives a brief history of her life and career.

Although Marian Anderson always claimed to have been born in 1902, it seems her birth certificate is reported to give her year of birth as 1897.

The cards from my fellow quilters have been coming in all month with more still to come. I found these great little display stands that work great for my postcard collection.

I'm off to Virginia on Friday and I'm taking two of my UFOs that are finished tops and ready for quilting. I can't wait to sit on the porch and quilt.

Christmas Cards

2008-01-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

My online quilt group has been at it again. We just completed a Christmas postcard swap. These cards are really addictive. From the beginning the problem has been finding a way to display them. This time I found this great card display at Pottery Barn that can go up on the wall to show my, hopefully, increasing collection of Christmas cards.

This is the card I made for the swap. Cutting out this tree turned out to be more work than I thought. I spent a lot of time with a pair of scissors in my hand but I made some extras and used them as my Christmas cards this year. Thankfully I don't send out that many.

These are the cards I received from the other members of my group - a talented group of ladies.This card mania started a year ago. I can't believe we're back where we started - signing up for the next round of cards for Black History Month.

2007-11-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Four years ago Michael died of throat cancer. Years ago, his family and the family of my best friend, Linda, would come to my house in the fall (from Brooklyn, in the big city) and we would take the kids to the local apple orchard to pick apples. The adults would spend the rest of the day on the patio and the kids would play in the yard. One time Linda's daughter, Leah, saw a rabbit outside and refused to leave the house even though I kept telling her that the rabbit had gone home for dinner because his mother was calling. Those are memories that stay with you forever, even now that the kids are adults and ready to have kids of their own.

Michael was addicted to ties that way I'm addicted to fabric. I told his wife that I would make a quilt from his ties. So, Denise took his extensive collection, disassembled all of the ties and mailed me a box earlier this year. I have been looking and looking for a pattern that would do them justice and a couple of weeks ago I found it. I've started work on one of the two quilted wallhangings I'll be making from Michael's ties.

The stars are dupioni silk to go with the silk ties. When the blocks are completed and sewn together, it will eventually be three stars wide and three stars long and then I'll add borders.

Don't worry. This is on my UFO list. This is in memory of Michael.

Just So You Know I'm Still Working . . .

2007-10-01T17:37:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I've posted nothing in September. Well, September is my busiest month at work. But, I've been working at home, too - maybe not on quilting. I've been visiting a seller on Ebay I've bought from previously. He sells fleece for spinners and during a recent visit I saw some of the most gorgeous commercially dyed fleece. My name is Phyllis and I'm addicted to color. After drooling over it for quite some time, I have succumbed and bought some fleece to spin into yarn for knitting and weaving.

Why spin, you say, when you can buy yarn anywhere? Well there are a couple of reasons. Spinning is a very "zen" endeavor. You can sit at your wheel, set a rhythm and commune with nature outside or ignore the laundry and dusting waiting for you inside. I'm sure if you measure blood pressure before and after a spinning session, it will have dropped.

Secondly, items knit from handspun have a distinctive appearance. There's a different feeling that I can't describe as the result of using this imperfect yarn.

Anyway, after unpacking my purchases, I couldn't wait to get started spinning some of it. Look at those colors!! The brown one is naturally colored Border Leicester and the others are commercially dyed.

Before these arrived, I was spinning some dark brown Finn and fabulous, luxurious llama and silk blend (the ligher skeins)

Now I feel the need for color and I've started with this wonderful blue with shots of burgundy and green (lower left in the photo above). I'm spinning a conventional 2-ply to knit a sweater. The color is breathtaking. Remember my addiction?

After years of spinning "conventional" yarn, I'm ready to begin experimenting with some different techniques. So, I've purchased a book, Spinning Designer Yarns, to start my experimentation.

Divine Quilt Inspiration

2007-08-23T18:18:00.006-04:00

I'm always looking for inspiration for new quilts. I started by interpreting traditional quilts with non-traditional fabrics. As I've moved on to art quilts, I've been inspired by other artists and by nature.

A while ago I discovered fractal art and began creating flame fractals using software called Apophysis which created the image you see here.

I love the ethereal transparent look of flame fractals and began thinking about how to reproduce that feeling in fabric. I've actually got some pretty good ideas of how to do that.

As great as the images are (this one looks like pearls, doesn't it?) they are something of an exercise in serendpity - you get these lucky images. Then I discovered that my favorite fractal artist, Janet Parke, uses software called Ultrafractal. After downloading it, I discovered that it's not exactly intuitive.

So, I've just finished a course at the Visual Arts Academy (online), taught by none other than Janet Parke, covering the use of UF. The course was challenging but the image possibilities are fabulous - even for a beginner like me. The challenge with these will be to simplify the images for fabric - enough to make them do-able but maintaining their essence. I also just love them as images and may have find find something else to use them for other than quilt inspiration.

I already have images I'd like to interpret in fabric. Can't you see the one above?! However, as with many of my ideas, they'll have to wait til 2008. This is the year of the UFO!!.

I'm back: Work in progress on another UFO

2007-08-21T19:43:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted. It's been pretty busy for the last month. My friend Rebecca is running for Town Council and I've been setting up her website. We decided to do it cheaply and I've discovered a whole new world of blog hackers. So I've been editing/cutting/pasting html code to make a blog operate like a website AND IT WORKED.

I'm now away for 2 weeks at the house in Virginia and I have the time to post here again. I'm working on another UFO.

This quilt is made from blocks obtained in a block swap. The theme was plaid crazy quilt blocks. The blocks were assembled when it went on the UFO list so I've been designing and working on the boarder. All that plaid needed a break so I added a small muslin inner border. The outer boarder is randomly sized pieces of plaid.

I was three blocks short of the number needed for this hanging so I inserted solid blocks. I intend to hand quilt adinkra symbols in these blocks. I'll be back with a better picture when it's finished.

I'm faced here with what happens when a project remains unfinished for some time. I'm evolving pretty rapidly when it comes to quilts. I'm not sure what I'll do with this one when it's finished. I still like the concept and it's definitely worth completing but my quilt sense has changed. Well, it will make a nice studio piece or a gift.

Magnolia Completed

2007-06-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Well, it's finally finished. But let's start with a picture of the flower in progress on the design wall. As every woman knows, who has ever worn white pants, everything shows as a shadow beneath white. The challenge was to minimize the visibility of seams and prevent the green from showing through where the petals overlap the leaves.

So, each petal was treated like a separate entity. Each top piece was underlined so seams wouldn't show through and then lined so green wouldn't shadow. The completed petals were then hand appliqued in place. The added thickness also added depth and, along with the varying shades, makes each petal stands alone and the flower doesn't just look like a blob of white. Click "Read the rest . . ." below to see the finished project.

The completed top was quilted with a line of stitching to indicate where the petals curled which is typical of Magnolia grandiflora. I mounted this quilt on stretcher strips like the Holston. Though I don't plan to make a habit of this finish, I think some pieces, like this one benefit from this treatment when the color wraps around the edges and the image doesn't feel confined.

I entered this piece in the first annual Employee Art Show at work. They did a wonderful job displaying the art. They turned one of our auditoriums into a gallery, rented display walls which were set up creating aisles and each piece was individually lit from above. Nothing like a deadline to get me working. Cross one more off the UFO list.

A Weaving Detour

2007-05-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

In 2004 when my friend told me that her grandson's Bar Mitzvah would take place in November of 2005, on impulse, I volunteered to weave his tallit. I had no idea of the significance of that offer but I soon found out. I started researching the tallit, its significance, and any rules for making one. It turns out there are few rules. They can be any size, any color, and any fiber as long as certain fibers are not mixed. I also taught myself to tie the tzittzit which are the tassels at each of the four corners. They are the only part of the tallit with religious significance and they must be tied in a certain way. So, Robert chose his colors and the pattern he wanted and I wove his tallit and eventually realized the emotional significance. It will be his for life and, if he is not buried with it, it may be passed on to one of his sons.

His Hebrew name is embroidered on the atarah around his neck . . .

. . . and I made the kippah from fabric woven on the same warp.

And now - the detour. It's 18 months later and Robert's younger brother, Jared, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last Saturday. Like his brother, he also chose his colors and pattern and I have been furiously weaving to finish his tallit in time.The pattern he chose is an overshot pattern I love called Blooming Leaf. He also chose more conventional blue and white for his colors. On Robert's tallit I added a few rows of orange as a surprise since I wouldn't let him have an orange tallit. Jared's surprise was silver and brown., He's a major chocolate lover and I thought he'd appreciate the reference to chocolate kisses.

Again, his Hebrew name was embroidered on the atarah.

I finished the tallit on Tuesday in time for a photo op with the torah on Wednesday and with days to spare before the Bar Mitzvah. By now, I probably know more about tallit than the vast majority of African-Americans and more than most of my Jewish friends. I also realize the significance of this piece of tradition. Both boys were thrilled, I think, and acknowledged me during their homilies and I must say I'm proud to have contributed to this significant event in their lives.

This detour has gotten my weaving juices flowing but I must get back to the UFO list. I hear the quilted magnolia calling.

The Leaves Are Done

2007-04-14T11:44:00.000-04:00

The leaves are finished and now it's on to the hard part - the flower. During the process I made the decision not to go for true realism. I had so many great greens that I decided to use a quite few of them and not worry about whether the leaves looked truly realistic.

I added a primary vein to the leaves - first using the light green you see in the lighter colored leaf. When they were done, however, I decided they were too bright so I went over all of them, except the lighter one, with brown to dull them down as you can see, on the darker leaf. I think they need secondary veins but I'll wait and see.

The leaves are machine appliqued but I don't want to do the flower that way. I think I have it figured out in my mind so it's time to bite the bullet and just do it. The wrinkles and puckers will go away when I remove the tear-away stabilizer in the back.

African-American Music Postcards Are Arriving

2007-04-08T16:00:00.001-04:00

I've started to recieve the postcards from the members of my swap groups. I couldn't be more pleased with the creativity of my quilting sisters. I sent out a card honoring the spiritual.

Every time I look at the card I sent out I can hear my mother singing. Spirituals were a huge part of my life as a child along with Verdi, Puccini, and Handel. The cards I'm receiving highlight the diversity in African-American music.

The cards pay homage to Billy Holiday and recognize New Orleans, the birhtplace of jazz. And we can't forget the more recent musical influences on our lives like the music of the late Luther Vandross.

Thank you, my sisters, for sharing your work and talent.

Progress

2007-03-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm making progress on the magnolia. This weekend has been some indication of what retirement will be like. I got up each morning, did my morning things and then went upstairs to the studio and started work on the project. I worked until I needed a break, took a break and then went back to work. Even though I don't dislike my job, I don't look forward to work tomorrow. Retirement is a big life change and in some ways the prospect is a little scary. And then there's the part of me that can't wait. END

2007-03-23T20:59:00.000-04:00

I've completed the latest postcard for my online quilting group and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

After attaching the arms to the background, I used the foiling technique again on the ball in one of the hands. The text on the back required come editing. It's just a bit shorter.

I showed the finished product to my UFO support team today and they were thrilled, although one of them did mention that she didn't see her address on any of them. The cards are going in the mail today and I will get back to my UFO list.

I 'm in this amazingly fertile creative zone right now. Everything I see, particularly raw materials, inspires me to create something. I have all of these ideas swirling around in my head. Unfortunately, by the time I get home and take care of obligations, there's not a lot of discretionary time left. I'm trying to document the ideas so when there is time or when retirement becomes a reality, I won't have forgotten them all. The down side of this, if there is a down side, is that I've been buying all these raw materials on Ebay - for weaving and spinning particularly. I WANT IT ALL!! Perhaps it's time for an Ebay intervention. But, I'm just going to attempt a cold turkey withdrawal. Wish me luck.

Music Postcards Nearing Completion

2007-03-20T14:40:00.000-04:00

To the left you see the latest post-it in the harrassment I've been subjected to by my UFO completion "support" team. So, I was again forced to stand before them with an acceptable explanation.

Actually the latest postcards are coming along quite well and should be finished within the next 2-3 days. I'm really happy with them and I think I may actually be getting better at putting them together. This design involved cutting out and attaching a number of small pieces. Although they were fused, I have a fear of the pieces being yanked off in the postal machines so I did some stitching to them all to keep them affixed. So when they are done you will be the second to know - after I tell (and show) that demanding support team.

So, it seems I've held them at bay once again. Come on team, where's the "support" in "support team"?

Meeting An Iconic Quilter

2007-03-12T19:23:00.000-04:00

I've always had a love of fabric since learning to sew (out of necessity) when I was about 10 years old. However, it took a while for me to convert that love to weaving and quilting. One of the first art quilters I was exposed to was Faith Ringgold. I must say, however, that calling her a "quilter" is probably an over-simplification of all she has created. Anyway, when I got home from the conference in Louisville, there was a message from my friend Rebecca saying she had invitations to a museum reception, Faith Ringgold would be there and she knew I'd want to go. Isn't it great the way my non-fabric friends take care of me?

The reception was for the opening of an exhibit at my local museum called "African-American Masters". It includes works by Romare Bearden, Aminah Robinson, and other artists including, of course, Faith Ringgold. We quilters have always claimed her as one of our own. I guess dollmakers, painters, and writers could do the same. There was a children's choir there and I discovered that night that composers could also stake a claim when the children sang a song she had composed.So, I had the opportunity to briefly speak with an icon - about my online quilt group and about what an inspiration she is to African-American art quilters. I also left with a signed copy of a book about Faith Ringgold that I had received from Amazon.com about 2 weeks before I knew about the reception.

The bonus that night was the discovery of an artist, Benny Andrews, whose work I love. I felt guilty that I didn't already know him. As appealing as his work is in photos, it has to be seen in person. The work is actually collage with dimensionality. For example, a man's folded shirt cuff actually shows folds and a jacket may be raised 1/16" off the surface. Inspiration every place I turn!!

Works shown:

Mother's quilt, Faith Ringgold

Aunt Bessie and Aunt Edith, Faith Ringgold

Reception, Benny Andrews

UFO Completus Interruptus

2007-02-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

I'm just back from a business conference in Louisville, KY. When I made my UFO list I gave a copy to the cytotechnologists down the hall from my office. Diane is my conscience and she expects tangible evidence of completion to cross an item off my list. Today she left me a post-it informing me that the "2007 UFOs Team" was concerned that they haven't received a recent progress report. I was forced to justify my lack of progress.

I explained that I have been interrupted. My online quilt group enjoyed the Black History postcard exchange so much that they have now started another one. The theme this time is African-American music and I have chosen "negro spirituals" for my card. There was a time when African-American concert artists like Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, and my mother, ended each classical concert with a set of spirituals. I remember my mother singing these songs and always loved this part of her concerts when I was a child.

I have vivid memories of one song called "Ain't Got Time To Die". I found a copy of the sheet music for this song and printed it on marble fabric.

I love the aged look and this will be the background for my card. One day I'll have to listen to the many tapes I have of my mother and see if she is singing this song on any of them. I've also written the text for the post card .side.

"Spirituals are songs created and first sung by enslaved Africans. Unlike today's Gospel music which are based on the Bible, they were an individual affirmation of faith. They provided comfort and eased the tedium of daily tasks. But, above all, they were an expression of spiritual devotion and a yearning for freedom from bondage. Songs like Follow The Drinking Gourd took on added meaning for slaves traveling the Underground Railroad. Spirituals evolved in the early 20th century as composers like Harry Burleigh and Hall Johnson composed and arranged spirituals for choral performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers and solo performers like Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes, and William Warfield."

So, my card is designed, my text is written and I just have to put the whole thing together. My UFO team seemed to accept the explanation for my apparent lack of progress. The magnolia will have to wait.

UFO #3 - Magnolia Power

2007-02-14T19:40:00.000-05:00

The Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of my favorite flowers. I like the soulangiana we have here in the north but the grandiflora is stunning. Enter my next uncompleted project.

Here is the plan - a huge Magnolia grandiflora in shades of white and cream. Can I do it? Well, that remains to be seen considering how far I've gotten with the project. Right now, as it rests on my UFO list, I've begun work on the easy part - the leaves - and this is where I pick up the project for completion. When they are finished we'll see how I do with the flower.

UFO #2 - Moving right along

2007-02-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

I've completed another project. My African-American Quilters group online decided to do an artist card swap. If you haven't heard about artist trading cards they're all the rage on the internet. They are postcard sized works of art that can be traded or mailed. Our cards are in honor of Black History Month. I decided to downsize a quilt idea I've been nursing based on the lyrics of a song called "We Are" written by Isaye Barnwell and recorded by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

The layout for the front of the card was first designed in paper with practice stitching to get some idea of what I would do to make sure this piece made it through the mail. It included to words of the song that are most meaningful for me.
"We are our grandmothers' prayers
We are our grandfathers' dreamings
We are the breath of the ancestors
We are the spirit of God"

Each item was then printed on fabric, cut out individually, and fused to a background fabric. They were topstitched with invisible thread to help them weather the adversities of the US Postal Service.

Every postcard needs a back with a greeting and the address of the recipient. The back was printed on muslin.

The two sides were fused to double sided Peltex for body and then edge stitched. The gold Adinkra symbol, Gye Nyame, was foiled to the fabric when the card was complete. My cards have been mailed to my group members and it was such fun, I'm thinking about what to do for Christmas cards.

UFO #1

2007-02-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

OK, I have to confess that the first item on my UFO list was completed a couple of weeks ago. I am an admirer of African-American artist, Joseph Holston. Who knows why certain pieces of art speak to you but his does to me. I've completed a fabric interpretation of one of his pieces. On the UFO list it only needed quilting and mounting. It's now complete and hanging in my living room.

Although I can't show you the whole piece, my biggest challenge was to create fabric that looked like newspaper but without readable words which I thought would be a distraction. I scanned, manipulated and printed and I got what I was looking for.

This is also the first quilted piece that I didn't bind. I mounted it on a stretcher like a painting. It just seemed appropriate for this piece.

The fabric color looks great against my gray/taupe walls.

One down - 20+ to go. It's going to be a long year.