Zasu -- Can't you just hear him?
Monday, January 31, 2005
Things I Loved About The Lion King
We went to see The Lion King in Boston on Saturday. Here are some thoughts in the form of a list...
Things I Loved About The Lion King
My very thoughtful and generous husband who gave me the tickets for my birthday. He always knows exactly what fuels my creative spirit... and what a fun event it would be for him and me and Claire.
Erin, our wonderful baby sitter, who spent the day with Benjamin.
Incredible costumes that let the audience "fill in the blanks" to imagine lions, cheetahs, hyenas, grass, flowers, trees. Yes, there was a whole scene with the chorus dressed as grass -- actually two scenes: one with grassy savanah swaying as Mufasa and Simba frolic and another when Simba is complaining about it being "too green" in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa. (The grass didn't much appreciate that comment.
African music!
Interesting sub-plots not in the movie. (Like Scar wanting Nala for his own. Ewww.)
New songs not in the movie. Especially "they live in you..."
Zasu -- Mufasa's bird helper. He was my favorite character. What a pleasure to be able to watch both an incredible puppet and an expressive actor all in one! And how can you go wrong with pointy toed orange spats? (I've scanned a picture of him. I'll include it in another post because it's too much work to try to work the photos in with the text.)
Pumba's giagantic tongue.
Hot dancer bodies.
Contraptions with wheels, stilts, peddles and all manor of mechanics to create the animal kingdom.
Taking time to appreciate every bit of the design -- costumes, lighting, set, sound, music, voice, dance... truly an amazing collaboration of ARTISTS!
Dinner (and dessert) at Carrabba's on the way home and reasonable weather!
Monday, January 24, 2005
Finished...
This is a small piece. It's about 35x6. (Yes, I'll enter it in the quiltart Straight and Narrow challenge.) I'm pretty pleased with it. I learned quite a few things in the process -- both things not to do again and ideas to pursue in the future. (Maybe I'll write more about those sometime.)
Garrowby's Hearth
I have been wanting to make a small piece to hang in that space between the top of the fire place and the bottom of the mantel. And then the Straight and Narrow challenge came up and another challenge was set up through the Yahoo group for The Fabric Arts Zine. That challenge is called "Lost in Translation" and involved interpreting a favorite piece of art.
Hanging in our living room
So, since we have a print of David Hockney's Garrowby's Hill above our mantel, I thought it would be fun to make a companion piece. I have long thought the Garrowby's Hill would make an interesting quilt. It was fun to finally have the inspiration and application to do it.
Garrowby's Hill by David Hockney
I was also inspired by Connie the Cow, a wonderful pre-school animated show on noggin. The animation is beautiful. There are always wonderfully colorful whimsical trees along the horizon.
Connie the Cow on Noggin
Garrowby's Hearth
I have been wanting to make a small piece to hang in that space between the top of the fire place and the bottom of the mantel. And then the Straight and Narrow challenge came up and another challenge was set up through the Yahoo group for The Fabric Arts Zine. That challenge is called "Lost in Translation" and involved interpreting a favorite piece of art.
Hanging in our living room
So, since we have a print of David Hockney's Garrowby's Hill above our mantel, I thought it would be fun to make a companion piece. I have long thought the Garrowby's Hill would make an interesting quilt. It was fun to finally have the inspiration and application to do it.
Garrowby's Hill by David Hockney
I was also inspired by Connie the Cow, a wonderful pre-school animated show on noggin. The animation is beautiful. There are always wonderfully colorful whimsical trees along the horizon.
Connie the Cow on Noggin
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Look what Mom gave me for my birthday
Hand dyed fabric
My mom and I took a class from Melody Johnson at the World Quilt Expo in New Hampshire in August. So, of course, we became super-fusers! In fact, Mom liked the idea of fusing so much that she thought she might like to dye her own fabric. The gal at the Pro-Chem booth was so enthusiastic and helpful that she sold Mom a dying kit. It was just enough to dye 30 fat eights in spectrum starting with just three colors. She also bought pfd fabric from the same gal. She picked the "tutti frutti" color range and off she went. Apparently she gathered 30 yogurt containers or plastic cups and had it all laid out in the kitchen. Clearly she does not have young children at home, like I do. Some of the colors had very little contrast with the next one... so she picked out a few that were essentially duplicates and sent them to me. Yeah!
Now what will I do with them? For now, just add them to my stash.
My mom and I took a class from Melody Johnson at the World Quilt Expo in New Hampshire in August. So, of course, we became super-fusers! In fact, Mom liked the idea of fusing so much that she thought she might like to dye her own fabric. The gal at the Pro-Chem booth was so enthusiastic and helpful that she sold Mom a dying kit. It was just enough to dye 30 fat eights in spectrum starting with just three colors. She also bought pfd fabric from the same gal. She picked the "tutti frutti" color range and off she went. Apparently she gathered 30 yogurt containers or plastic cups and had it all laid out in the kitchen. Clearly she does not have young children at home, like I do. Some of the colors had very little contrast with the next one... so she picked out a few that were essentially duplicates and sent them to me. Yeah!
Now what will I do with them? For now, just add them to my stash.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
That Quiltathon Was a Week Ago Already?
I'm not sure whether this past week was busy or just in some kind of weird time warp. But, last Saturday was the Kalidescope Quilters quarterly quiltathon. (They rent the big room at the Elks lodge and we eat and sew all day.) I had prepared three items for quilting and gathered all my thread and other tools. On Thursday before the event, my Janome and I had some disagreements. (Thread shredding and breaking.) This is an argument we have had often since the day we met. I usually come to the conclusion that the problem is "pilot error." (That's what we call it in our house, at least.) By Friday, we had resolved our issues and I had high hopes for the all day quilting on Saturday.
Unfortunately... that was not to be. More shredding and breaking. I got help and suggestions from several gals all of whom asked, "When was the last time you had it cleaned and serviced?" At this point I hung my head and went to get another brownie. I'm not exactly sure... maybe two years.
More help from several gals who suggested great sewing machine guys (and gals). I ended up leaving at about 2 pm and driving up to Nobleboro to Mainely Sewing so my machine could get an annual exam. I did get a bit of quiting done before I left, but it was slow and mostly unproductive.
Yesterday, I picked up my machine. Yes!!! Speedy. The tech found nothing wrong, so I have high hopes that we'll have smooth sewing for the next several months. The owner of the shop was delightful. She gave me a discount for being in a guild. Had great suggestions about printing on fabric. Lots of interesting classes and workshops coming up. And it was cool to see the Janome 6500 in person. I'd never seen it and was curious how much is costs, since there are no prices published on the internet. She sells it for $1250. She admitted that she's not a great sales person because she really thinks most people could be completely satisfied with the $600 model and she sells that most often.
I left with two 1/2 yard cuts of fabric for the soon to be started self portrait challenge (eeek!!! the dreaded challenge controversy!!!), some foil, some ready-to-print fabric sheets and my machine.
I'm doing my real (paid) work today, but I hope to get into the studio later this weekend.
Unfortunately... that was not to be. More shredding and breaking. I got help and suggestions from several gals all of whom asked, "When was the last time you had it cleaned and serviced?" At this point I hung my head and went to get another brownie. I'm not exactly sure... maybe two years.
More help from several gals who suggested great sewing machine guys (and gals). I ended up leaving at about 2 pm and driving up to Nobleboro to Mainely Sewing so my machine could get an annual exam. I did get a bit of quiting done before I left, but it was slow and mostly unproductive.
Yesterday, I picked up my machine. Yes!!! Speedy. The tech found nothing wrong, so I have high hopes that we'll have smooth sewing for the next several months. The owner of the shop was delightful. She gave me a discount for being in a guild. Had great suggestions about printing on fabric. Lots of interesting classes and workshops coming up. And it was cool to see the Janome 6500 in person. I'd never seen it and was curious how much is costs, since there are no prices published on the internet. She sells it for $1250. She admitted that she's not a great sales person because she really thinks most people could be completely satisfied with the $600 model and she sells that most often.
I left with two 1/2 yard cuts of fabric for the soon to be started self portrait challenge (eeek!!! the dreaded challenge controversy!!!), some foil, some ready-to-print fabric sheets and my machine.
I'm doing my real (paid) work today, but I hope to get into the studio later this weekend.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Look Quick.
Remember we went to visit my parents in NY last week? They have the most lovely home. They live right on the shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto skyline can be seen across the lake and there is a field of corn in the front yard. In a span of about 10 minutes I ran around snapping what I hoped would be interesting shots. I think I might make them into a little fabric book for a Christmas gift. (ala those snappy little books on page 25 of the new Quilting Arts)
Then why am I posting them for Mom and Dad to see, you ask? They are in Italy, Greece and Turkey for three weeks. And I know my Dad won't fork out the cash to read my blog on the off chance they find an internet cafe. So, I'll delete this post sometime next week. And it will be our little secret.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.
You may be able to see Toronto if you click the sunset picture and look closely. That last picture isn't especially interesting, but it's part of a super cool trellis my Dad built. When he visited last spring, we visited the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland and he took a picture of a similar trellis and copied it. Isn't he crafty?! So that makes the picture more cool, don't you think?
Then why am I posting them for Mom and Dad to see, you ask? They are in Italy, Greece and Turkey for three weeks. And I know my Dad won't fork out the cash to read my blog on the off chance they find an internet cafe. So, I'll delete this post sometime next week. And it will be our little secret.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.
You may be able to see Toronto if you click the sunset picture and look closely. That last picture isn't especially interesting, but it's part of a super cool trellis my Dad built. When he visited last spring, we visited the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland and he took a picture of a similar trellis and copied it. Isn't he crafty?! So that makes the picture more cool, don't you think?
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Frayed Edges Current Favorites
As I mentioned earlier, four gals from here in Maine are starting a small art group. Kate asked each of us to name our current favorite artist. We all complained to her that it was cruel and unusal to make us pick one but...
Kate picked Lorraine Roy from Canada.
Sarah picked Sandra Meech (for whom we couldn't find a website, but is author of an amazing book.)
Kathy picked Deana Hartman...www.chameleonquilts.com (She was recently on Crafters Coast to Coast and made a wonderfully whimsical needle book.)
I'm picking Luann Udell. I love the small size of her work, the wonderful layers of texture, color and images. I also love the sticks she uses to hang each piece and the added elements of fibers and beads she adds to the sticks.
I also told the rest of Frayed Edges about the Artful Quilters Webring, my new obsession with blogs.
Kate picked Lorraine Roy from Canada.
Sarah picked Sandra Meech (for whom we couldn't find a website, but is author of an amazing book.)
Kathy picked Deana Hartman...www.chameleonquilts.com (She was recently on Crafters Coast to Coast and made a wonderfully whimsical needle book.)
I'm picking Luann Udell. I love the small size of her work, the wonderful layers of texture, color and images. I also love the sticks she uses to hang each piece and the added elements of fibers and beads she adds to the sticks.
I also told the rest of Frayed Edges about the Artful Quilters Webring, my new obsession with blogs.
Wow... Have you seen this quilt artist?
My friend Kate directed me to Lorraine Roy. Of course, I love trees (and rocks) and her series of trees is really amazing.
I am hosting the first meeting of a small art group on Monday, January 31. We are calling ourselves "Frayed Edges." Kate will be here and she sent out an email to the other memebers (there are just four of us) asking us to share ONE of our current favorite artists. She shared Lorraine. Kathy and Sarah and I have not yet responded. But I'm preparing my thoughts. More on that later.
I am hosting the first meeting of a small art group on Monday, January 31. We are calling ourselves "Frayed Edges." Kate will be here and she sent out an email to the other memebers (there are just four of us) asking us to share ONE of our current favorite artists. She shared Lorraine. Kathy and Sarah and I have not yet responded. But I'm preparing my thoughts. More on that later.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Great Gifts Coming My Way
Well, my birthday is still a few days away and I've already been showered with really awesome gifts! My parents reupped my Quilting Arts subscription. Yeah! Jeff got tickets for him and Claire and me to go see The Lion King in Boston. Yeah! And Lucy sent the Fiberarts 7 Design book from my Amazon wish list (and mentioned in an earlier post).
Yeah! Of course, I love QA. It's so beautifully published and has such wonderful pictures and ideas. My friend Kate thinks it would be fun to start a small art group and experiment with various projects from QA. Great idea. Sometimes I shy away from trying new things simply because I like the stuff I do do and I'm not (yet) bored with it. More on that small art group later... the creative spirit is moving in Maine!
I am so excited to go see The Lion King. I've known for years that it would be a really spectaular production and I would be lucky to see it. It seems like it's really all come together to make it possible. Claire is old enough to appreciate and enjoy it. She's going to flip when she really sees the scope of it. We've been to children's theater together, but that is very small in scale in comparison. Not that there is anything wrong with small... but this will be an EVENT. Plus, we were able to arrange a great situation for Benjamin. Our friends Lisa and Ali are coming to spend the day with him. I hope that it really turns out to be a great day for everyone. And Boston is just 2 hours away, so it's an easy day trip. We're going to the matinee on Sat Jan 29 and we'll be stopping at Carrabba's for dinner on the way home. Yum.
And the Fiberarts book is amazing. I brought it to the quiltathon with our local guild yesterday and it was very interesting to see some gals flip through it. The scope of the design is really amazing. And so many different media and artists. I've just begun to look carefully through it, and I see something new each time. It was super cool to see a piece of Natasha Kempers-Cullen. She lives here in Topsham and I've visited her studio.
It was also super cool to see Katharine Cobey's "Throw Caution to the Winds II" (pictured below) which has been flying outside of Maine Fiberarts recently. Imagine, I get to see a really top notch piece of fiber art just because I was on my way over the green bridge. Art is everywhere. I'm not sure I love this piece, but I do think the idea of very public, very accessible art that presents a juxtaposition of materials and ideas is inspiring.
Katharine Cobey, Throw Caution to the Wind II
There were a few pieces I remember seeing at the World Quilt Expo in Manchester. That is a reminder that there really is no comparison to seeing a piece in person. The detail and depth in Jenny Hearn's "Fissures, Fossils and Fragments 4: Red Thread" cannot be appreciated in the 4 inch picture in the book. Here is a picture of it... again you really have to see it in person. It's amazing.
Jenny Hearn, Fissures, Fossils, and Fragments 4: Red Thread
So, I'll be driving through Starbucks on Thursday morning after I drop the kids off at school. A mocha latte, the blessings of these thoughtful gifts and the knowledge that I am richly blessed in so many ways will make it a great day, I'm sure.
Yeah! Of course, I love QA. It's so beautifully published and has such wonderful pictures and ideas. My friend Kate thinks it would be fun to start a small art group and experiment with various projects from QA. Great idea. Sometimes I shy away from trying new things simply because I like the stuff I do do and I'm not (yet) bored with it. More on that small art group later... the creative spirit is moving in Maine!
I am so excited to go see The Lion King. I've known for years that it would be a really spectaular production and I would be lucky to see it. It seems like it's really all come together to make it possible. Claire is old enough to appreciate and enjoy it. She's going to flip when she really sees the scope of it. We've been to children's theater together, but that is very small in scale in comparison. Not that there is anything wrong with small... but this will be an EVENT. Plus, we were able to arrange a great situation for Benjamin. Our friends Lisa and Ali are coming to spend the day with him. I hope that it really turns out to be a great day for everyone. And Boston is just 2 hours away, so it's an easy day trip. We're going to the matinee on Sat Jan 29 and we'll be stopping at Carrabba's for dinner on the way home. Yum.
And the Fiberarts book is amazing. I brought it to the quiltathon with our local guild yesterday and it was very interesting to see some gals flip through it. The scope of the design is really amazing. And so many different media and artists. I've just begun to look carefully through it, and I see something new each time. It was super cool to see a piece of Natasha Kempers-Cullen. She lives here in Topsham and I've visited her studio.
It was also super cool to see Katharine Cobey's "Throw Caution to the Winds II" (pictured below) which has been flying outside of Maine Fiberarts recently. Imagine, I get to see a really top notch piece of fiber art just because I was on my way over the green bridge. Art is everywhere. I'm not sure I love this piece, but I do think the idea of very public, very accessible art that presents a juxtaposition of materials and ideas is inspiring.
Katharine Cobey, Throw Caution to the Wind II
There were a few pieces I remember seeing at the World Quilt Expo in Manchester. That is a reminder that there really is no comparison to seeing a piece in person. The detail and depth in Jenny Hearn's "Fissures, Fossils and Fragments 4: Red Thread" cannot be appreciated in the 4 inch picture in the book. Here is a picture of it... again you really have to see it in person. It's amazing.
Jenny Hearn, Fissures, Fossils, and Fragments 4: Red Thread
So, I'll be driving through Starbucks on Thursday morning after I drop the kids off at school. A mocha latte, the blessings of these thoughtful gifts and the knowledge that I am richly blessed in so many ways will make it a great day, I'm sure.
Friday, January 14, 2005
I found some verse for the spring quilt.
Yeah! I was googling around and came across the following.
When Spring Appears
Meadowlarks give lusty cheers
when spring appears
when spring appears.
Buds and seeds
prick up their ears
and blades of grass
show eager spears.
And only icicles
weep tears
when spring appears
when spring appears
Author: Aileen Fisher
Quite lovely. Don't you think? I even actually got it stamped on the quilt top. I used the first line of each stanza then "when spring appears" just once toward the bottom of the quilt. Now, a back needs to be pieced, then sandwiching.
I have a pile of stuff ready to be packed up for the kaleidoscope quiltathon tomorrow. After some trouble with my machine yesterday, all seems to be fine and I'm hoping it will be a productive day of quilting.
Jeff asked if they throw you out if you get up from your machine or stop sewing... as if "quiltathon" was one of those fund raising type events where you must kiss or dance or jump rope or whatever for hours on end and some generous donors (that you wrestled down in the parish hall after church on Sunday morning) pledge a nickel for every hour you succeed. Not so.
When Spring Appears
Meadowlarks give lusty cheers
when spring appears
when spring appears.
Buds and seeds
prick up their ears
and blades of grass
show eager spears.
And only icicles
weep tears
when spring appears
when spring appears
Author: Aileen Fisher
Quite lovely. Don't you think? I even actually got it stamped on the quilt top. I used the first line of each stanza then "when spring appears" just once toward the bottom of the quilt. Now, a back needs to be pieced, then sandwiching.
I have a pile of stuff ready to be packed up for the kaleidoscope quiltathon tomorrow. After some trouble with my machine yesterday, all seems to be fine and I'm hoping it will be a productive day of quilting.
Jeff asked if they throw you out if you get up from your machine or stop sewing... as if "quiltathon" was one of those fund raising type events where you must kiss or dance or jump rope or whatever for hours on end and some generous donors (that you wrestled down in the parish hall after church on Sunday morning) pledge a nickel for every hour you succeed. Not so.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Rubber Stamping On Winter
I finally finished preparing all the unmounted alphabet stamps I got. Then I stamped three lines from "In the Bleak Mid Winter" on the winter quilt. I also wrote one line with wispy handwriting in Pigma. My local guild has a quiltathon this Saturday. (They rent the big room at the Elks lodge and quilt all day. Plus, eat of course. Get out your crock pot.) I really had intended to have both Spring and Winter ready to quilt that day. So, I'm making progress. But I still need to prepare the back and get in sandwiched. So why did I spend time on the sleeve for Blended Morn today? That could have waited. I need more focus in prioritization.
I thought I wanted to stick with text from hymns for all the season quilts. But I flipped through the hymnal on Sunday morning during Dan's sermon and I couldn't find anything moving about Spring. I kept trying to convince myself that "Morning is Broken" would work. But, it will not. Then I thought it was silly to limit myself to hymns anyway, so I'm on a search for anything that I succinct and springy.
I thought I wanted to stick with text from hymns for all the season quilts. But I flipped through the hymnal on Sunday morning during Dan's sermon and I couldn't find anything moving about Spring. I kept trying to convince myself that "Morning is Broken" would work. But, it will not. Then I thought it was silly to limit myself to hymns anyway, so I'm on a search for anything that I succinct and springy.
Blended Morn
Here is a picture of the finished quilt, now titled "Blended Morn." I don't think you can see the hand writing very well in this picture of in any of the others, but it is Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning." Actually, it's not meant to be seen that well. It is just one of many elements in the quilt. The poem has "rock, river and tree" as central theme and symbols. I used those ideas in the quilting.
I felt like I really needed to get copyright permission for this if I intend to show or sell it. So, I filled out all the forms for that today and will mail if off tomorrow. (The don't take electronic permission requests.)
I was really pleased with the binding. I saw a wonderful exhibit of Susan Carlson's quilts and noticed that she just used scraps of all widths length colors and sizes and just folded them over one on top of the next. Since my pieces were already fuse-ready, this worked perfectly.
I even sewed the sleeve on tonight, so I may go get a dowel tomorrow and actually hang it. Yeah. I'm going to wait for the copyright permission to do the label.
I felt like I really needed to get copyright permission for this if I intend to show or sell it. So, I filled out all the forms for that today and will mail if off tomorrow. (The don't take electronic permission requests.)
I was really pleased with the binding. I saw a wonderful exhibit of Susan Carlson's quilts and noticed that she just used scraps of all widths length colors and sizes and just folded them over one on top of the next. Since my pieces were already fuse-ready, this worked perfectly.
I even sewed the sleeve on tonight, so I may go get a dowel tomorrow and actually hang it. Yeah. I'm going to wait for the copyright permission to do the label.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Current Projects List
Here's a list of my current projects in order of doneness. It's more than I like to have going at once. I need to get a few done! I've listed the (sometimes tentative) titles and the next steps to be completed. I haven't listed all the remaining steps for each project, because OBVIOUSLY, if I haven't sandwiched it, it still needs to be quilted and labeled. And of course, the dreaded sleeve.
On the Pulse of Morning
Add sleeve, choose a new title, seek copyright permission, make a label
Garrowby's Hearth
Hand embroidery? quilt...
Winter
Prepare backing, sandwich, quilt...
Spring
Find a few lines of text to stamp onto top, stamp...
Sonji's Satchel
Finish quilting...
Exemplars
Add wonky borders, sandwich, quilt...
Barndoor
Dig it out of a drawer, finish borders, prepare back, sandwich...
Summer
Begin piecing...
Guardian Angel for Quilting Arts
Design pattern, wait for watch parts to arrive in the mail
Fall
Gather fabric...
On the Pulse of Morning
Add sleeve, choose a new title, seek copyright permission, make a label
Garrowby's Hearth
Hand embroidery? quilt...
Winter
Prepare backing, sandwich, quilt...
Spring
Find a few lines of text to stamp onto top, stamp...
Sonji's Satchel
Finish quilting...
Exemplars
Add wonky borders, sandwich, quilt...
Barndoor
Dig it out of a drawer, finish borders, prepare back, sandwich...
Summer
Begin piecing...
Guardian Angel for Quilting Arts
Design pattern, wait for watch parts to arrive in the mail
Fall
Gather fabric...
Can't Add Picture
I've been trying on and off for about three days to upload a picture of myself into the User Profile. No luck. I think I'm doing it right, it just doesn't seem to go through. Actually, I must not be doing it right, otherwise it would be done. I've emailed blogger and we'll see if they can guide me through. Any advice for you other expert Bloggers?
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Thursday, January 06, 2005
The Metallic Thread Did Not Break Even One Time!
I got this wonderful hand painted and stamped fabric from my friend, Sonji, through a swap with a yahoo group. I love it so much, that I'm going to make a little satchel out of it. I just couldn't cut it up. So, I am going to FMQ the begeezus out of it, then stitch it up. I wanted to use some of the metallic sulky thread my mom gave me, but I'm usually not up for the challenge it takes to keep rethreading when it snaps. Not today! Complete success and I quilted nearly the entire length. (I would have finished, but I had to pick Benjamin up from school.) That's what I call the "garlic clove" pattern inspired by Robbi Ecklow. It sure is a great feeling to be successful and productive -- and love the stuff you're staring at.
I got this wonderful hand painted and stamped fabric from my friend, Sonji, through a swap with a yahoo group. I love it so much, that I'm going to make a little satchel out of it. I just couldn't cut it up. So, I am going to FMQ the begeezus out of it, then stitch it up. I wanted to use some of the metallic sulky thread my mom gave me, but I'm usually not up for the challenge it takes to keep rethreading when it snaps. Not today! Complete success and I quilted nearly the entire length. (I would have finished, but I had to pick Benjamin up from school.) That's what I call the "garlic clove" pattern inspired by Robbi Ecklow. It sure is a great feeling to be successful and productive -- and love the stuff you're staring at.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Painting, handwriting, fusing.
Here's my first in progess picture. I handpainted the fabric then wrote Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning" over then entire yard.
Then I cut it in squares with my wavy cutter and came up with this general layout. Now it needs a border.
So, I went back to painting. Knowing I needed something much darker. Then I cut that up into strips and refused. I also added the smaller squares because I can never get the traditional "square in a square" out of my mind. But, of course, I didn't want to make it traditional.
Then I decided it needed another border and I knew I didn't want to lose the irregularity of the previous border. Back to painting. Sunrise this time. Then I cut that up in just enough pieces to go around the edges and still appear like a whole cloth.
Then I added that super narrow wonky border and hang it up to let it breathe. At this point (which was back in Oct, I think) I was really pleased. The quilting was a challenge. But it's done now. I need to take some finished pictures and post them tomorrow.
Then I cut it in squares with my wavy cutter and came up with this general layout. Now it needs a border.
So, I went back to painting. Knowing I needed something much darker. Then I cut that up into strips and refused. I also added the smaller squares because I can never get the traditional "square in a square" out of my mind. But, of course, I didn't want to make it traditional.
Then I decided it needed another border and I knew I didn't want to lose the irregularity of the previous border. Back to painting. Sunrise this time. Then I cut that up in just enough pieces to go around the edges and still appear like a whole cloth.
Then I added that super narrow wonky border and hang it up to let it breathe. At this point (which was back in Oct, I think) I was really pleased. The quilting was a challenge. But it's done now. I need to take some finished pictures and post them tomorrow.
Almost back to "normal."
The first day after the holiday break began with a trip to the nurses office at Claire's school. She sprained (we thought... notice the foreshadowing here) her ankle on Saturday morning. Though she played and was mostly fine all weekend, we thought it would be a good idea to check in with Nurse Naomi before school. She was surprised it was as swollen as it was a full two days after the accident and recommended a "better safe than sorry -- bsts" xray. Luckily, Claire's drs office squeezed us in right away. And off we went. Yes, with two-year-old in tow.
The dr (who was charming and was wearing an amazing hand woven vest) agreed that a "bsts" xray would be a good idea. At least that what I thought she said, I was a bit distracted trying to keep two-year-old out of the hazardous waste can. Off to the hospital. They don't have an xray machine at the drs office. They also squeezed us in pretty quickly, but not before two-year-old and five-year-old both got wet in the giant rock, wood and water scultures in the waiting area. Claire did great under the giant xray machine and we were told we'd hear the results this afternoon. Back to school. Another check with the school nurse. And finally into the classroom.
Several calls to the dr about the results were finally returned about 7:30 pm. Hmmmm... the xrays are inconclusive, so to be "bsts" she needs to see an orthopedic dr. But, of course, they are closed now. We'll have to try to get an appt in the morning. There goes Monday. Jeff and I were tied to our cell phones on Tuesday morning and we finally got word that the orthepedic dr would see us at 10:45. Hmmmm, how will I pick two-year-old up from preschool if I'm at the orthopedic dr?
Luckily, Jeff was able to free himself from work and he met Claire and I at the appt, then I left to pick up Benjamin and he stayed with Claire. Which was good because he can never get enough of peppering drs with various questions, looking at models of bones, analyzing bruises, etc. Eventually, Jeff and Claire reported back to me and Benjamin that the growth plate was broken. Apparently, it might have healed just fine without a cast, but "bsts"... let's go with the cast. Claire got the choose the color. The only options she was able to report were glow-in-the-dark white and pink. She said she asked if they had glow-in-the-dark pink, but with no such luck, she chose plain old pink. Then she hit the jack pot when they gave her a cast sandal with rainbow straps!
Then we all met at Burger King for lunch. Benjamin got a really cool Dora light up toy in his happy meal. And since Claire would not be allowed to walk on the cast until after dinner, she and Benjamin and I went home for an afternoon on the couch and Daddy went back to work.
So, that was Monday and Tuesday. Not exactly what we had planned. But, we all made the most of it. I did spend a lot of time quilting on Tuesday night after it was all over and everyone was in bed and I'd watched The Amazing Race.
I finished a quilt that is not yet named, but I'm thrilled with it and will post in-progress and completed pictures soon.
The dr (who was charming and was wearing an amazing hand woven vest) agreed that a "bsts" xray would be a good idea. At least that what I thought she said, I was a bit distracted trying to keep two-year-old out of the hazardous waste can. Off to the hospital. They don't have an xray machine at the drs office. They also squeezed us in pretty quickly, but not before two-year-old and five-year-old both got wet in the giant rock, wood and water scultures in the waiting area. Claire did great under the giant xray machine and we were told we'd hear the results this afternoon. Back to school. Another check with the school nurse. And finally into the classroom.
Several calls to the dr about the results were finally returned about 7:30 pm. Hmmmm... the xrays are inconclusive, so to be "bsts" she needs to see an orthopedic dr. But, of course, they are closed now. We'll have to try to get an appt in the morning. There goes Monday. Jeff and I were tied to our cell phones on Tuesday morning and we finally got word that the orthepedic dr would see us at 10:45. Hmmmm, how will I pick two-year-old up from preschool if I'm at the orthopedic dr?
Luckily, Jeff was able to free himself from work and he met Claire and I at the appt, then I left to pick up Benjamin and he stayed with Claire. Which was good because he can never get enough of peppering drs with various questions, looking at models of bones, analyzing bruises, etc. Eventually, Jeff and Claire reported back to me and Benjamin that the growth plate was broken. Apparently, it might have healed just fine without a cast, but "bsts"... let's go with the cast. Claire got the choose the color. The only options she was able to report were glow-in-the-dark white and pink. She said she asked if they had glow-in-the-dark pink, but with no such luck, she chose plain old pink. Then she hit the jack pot when they gave her a cast sandal with rainbow straps!
Then we all met at Burger King for lunch. Benjamin got a really cool Dora light up toy in his happy meal. And since Claire would not be allowed to walk on the cast until after dinner, she and Benjamin and I went home for an afternoon on the couch and Daddy went back to work.
So, that was Monday and Tuesday. Not exactly what we had planned. But, we all made the most of it. I did spend a lot of time quilting on Tuesday night after it was all over and everyone was in bed and I'd watched The Amazing Race.
I finished a quilt that is not yet named, but I'm thrilled with it and will post in-progress and completed pictures soon.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Embellishment Establishment
My fellow blogger, Melody Johnson, responded that my recent post about working on the Quilting Arts challenge and she made some interesting comments. You can read them if you scroll down to January 1. I sent her a personal email, but I thought I'd put some of my thoughts here too.
We are definetely in the Era of Embellishment. I must say, I always love reading Quilting Arts (and Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors). But, I'm easy to please are far as the simple luxery of paging through a magazine at the end of the day after the kids are in bed and the dishwasher is running. Much of the artwork and lots of the techniques in those publications involve this type of excessive manipulation of the artwork. It does all start to sound and look the same after awhile.
In fact, I am a bit irritated when they run more than one piece about a particular project. In fact, there is a profile about the "women of influence" round robin project in the new CPS -- and it's the third in the series. And hints about more to come. The first was in QA and another in the premier issue of CPS then another in the current issue. Surely, there are other groups of artists who could be spotlighted. (Not that I didn't enjoy reading the article and looking at the pictures, but it has a feel of exclusivity when they focus on a small group of artists over and over.)
But, in some of those same magazines there are nice profiles of artists who are not necessarily so trendy. (Like the interview with Hollis Chatelain in QA.)
I myself have begun to incorporate more "stuff" in my work. But I don't go for the layers and layers and layers of clutter. A well placed stick or rock can really be a wonderful accent.
Melody recommended looking at the Fiberarts design books. I have seen them and they are wonderful. In fact, I've had a few on my amazon wish list for several months. (My birthday is coming up, maybe I'll move them to the top of my list. Hint hint for you gift giving folks.) And I never get tired of paging through my Quilt National catalogs.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a subscriber to all those magazines and sometimes I actually catch my breath when I see them in the mail box because it's so thrilling. In fact, I may let my subscription to QNM laspe after some 7 or 8 years. It's just not that inspiring -- in comparison. And actually I'm a fan of excessive embellishment in some cases. I like the depth and energy it can offer.
Of course, this leads me back to the question I raised in the last post... would I rather spend time discussing art and ideas (like I'm doing right now) or making art? Back to the studio...
We are definetely in the Era of Embellishment. I must say, I always love reading Quilting Arts (and Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors). But, I'm easy to please are far as the simple luxery of paging through a magazine at the end of the day after the kids are in bed and the dishwasher is running. Much of the artwork and lots of the techniques in those publications involve this type of excessive manipulation of the artwork. It does all start to sound and look the same after awhile.
In fact, I am a bit irritated when they run more than one piece about a particular project. In fact, there is a profile about the "women of influence" round robin project in the new CPS -- and it's the third in the series. And hints about more to come. The first was in QA and another in the premier issue of CPS then another in the current issue. Surely, there are other groups of artists who could be spotlighted. (Not that I didn't enjoy reading the article and looking at the pictures, but it has a feel of exclusivity when they focus on a small group of artists over and over.)
But, in some of those same magazines there are nice profiles of artists who are not necessarily so trendy. (Like the interview with Hollis Chatelain in QA.)
I myself have begun to incorporate more "stuff" in my work. But I don't go for the layers and layers and layers of clutter. A well placed stick or rock can really be a wonderful accent.
Melody recommended looking at the Fiberarts design books. I have seen them and they are wonderful. In fact, I've had a few on my amazon wish list for several months. (My birthday is coming up, maybe I'll move them to the top of my list. Hint hint for you gift giving folks.) And I never get tired of paging through my Quilt National catalogs.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a subscriber to all those magazines and sometimes I actually catch my breath when I see them in the mail box because it's so thrilling. In fact, I may let my subscription to QNM laspe after some 7 or 8 years. It's just not that inspiring -- in comparison. And actually I'm a fan of excessive embellishment in some cases. I like the depth and energy it can offer.
Of course, this leads me back to the question I raised in the last post... would I rather spend time discussing art and ideas (like I'm doing right now) or making art? Back to the studio...
Creative Update
I haven't done much super creative today -- or yesterday for that matter. But, I'm feeling good about the general direction we're moving in. Jeff and I did lots of cleaning and reorganzing yesterday. The tree is down. Gosh, we've got a lot of room in the living room and dining room now that there are not stray ornaments everywhere, piles of presents and an extra four chairs at the table.
This means that some of the stuff got moved to the table in my studio and it has not been put away yet. Arg.
I did get back to preparing some new rubber stamps. I recently bartered for two sets of alphabet stamps from Vickie Enkoff. They are unmounted, so I have to cut out each little letter and put some hook (from hook and loop tape specially designed for rubber stamps) on the back. I have about 6 more numbers to do from the first set. They have the entire upper and lower case alphabet to do on the second set. This is probably a job that would be well suited to wait until The Amazing Race, Alias and West Wing are on later in the week.
I'm generally not a fan of rubber stamps. But I think this is going to work out really well and I'm excited to try something new.
I intend to use these stamps to put some words on the seasons quilts. "in the bleak mid winter frosty wind made moan, earth like iron, water as a stone. Snow had fallen snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak mid winter, long ago." I love that hymn. I have a wonderful memory of one Advent in Lawrence at Canterbury House for the evening Eucharist and two students playing it on their recorders. Beautiful.
(Recorders for five and two year olds on the other hand... not so much. Please make a note not to give recorders as Christmas gifts to anyone who has not asked for them.)
My other creative endeavors of late have included reading magazines. I am really enjoying the new Cloth Paper Scissors. Sometimes I wonder if my hobby is really creating art, or just reading about it and looking at it. (You can wile away a lot of time linking from one quilt artist's site to another. Which I have done many a'time.)
This means that some of the stuff got moved to the table in my studio and it has not been put away yet. Arg.
I did get back to preparing some new rubber stamps. I recently bartered for two sets of alphabet stamps from Vickie Enkoff. They are unmounted, so I have to cut out each little letter and put some hook (from hook and loop tape specially designed for rubber stamps) on the back. I have about 6 more numbers to do from the first set. They have the entire upper and lower case alphabet to do on the second set. This is probably a job that would be well suited to wait until The Amazing Race, Alias and West Wing are on later in the week.
I'm generally not a fan of rubber stamps. But I think this is going to work out really well and I'm excited to try something new.
I intend to use these stamps to put some words on the seasons quilts. "in the bleak mid winter frosty wind made moan, earth like iron, water as a stone. Snow had fallen snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak mid winter, long ago." I love that hymn. I have a wonderful memory of one Advent in Lawrence at Canterbury House for the evening Eucharist and two students playing it on their recorders. Beautiful.
(Recorders for five and two year olds on the other hand... not so much. Please make a note not to give recorders as Christmas gifts to anyone who has not asked for them.)
My other creative endeavors of late have included reading magazines. I am really enjoying the new Cloth Paper Scissors. Sometimes I wonder if my hobby is really creating art, or just reading about it and looking at it. (You can wile away a lot of time linking from one quilt artist's site to another. Which I have done many a'time.)
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Must. Get. Back. To. Routine.
It's been so long since I've posted and I've logged on a few times and then scratched my head about what to write. So, now I'm just diving in. I think I am going to try to make this blog mostly about my creative endeavors... and not so much about my regular life, the house, the kids, the weather, etc. Though, of course, the two do intertwine. So we'll see how it goes.
So, I've been thinking about the Quilting Arts challenge about making a guardian angel "doll." I have thought about entering every challenge they have ever issued, and I did submit an atc to their call for submissions, but I've never really put in a lot of creative thought and action behind a project. Until now. (Right?)
The challenge asks, Who is your fantasy guardian angel and what does she or he look like? Show us in our Fantasy Guardian Angel Art Doll Challenge. The requirments include using fabric, must have wings and between 6" and 12." (By the way, I have often wondered why the Quilting Arts challenges are rarely specifically quilts. I mean, this is totally a doll challenge and we're not talking about Art Doll Quarterly. Though that is also a beautiful publication. Other challenges have included boxes and books made with fabric. Of course, this leads us back to the question of what is a quilt. And we don't really want to go there.)
These may not all seem to go together, but it's a bit of what runs through my head.
And then I came across this amazing quote in the most recent issue of Somerset Studio.
In this there is no measuring with time. A year doesn’t matter; ten years are nothing. To be an artist means not to compute or count; it means to ripen as the tree, which does not force its sap, but stands unshaken in the storms of spring with no fear that summer might not follow. It will come regardless. But it comes only to those who live as though eternity stretches before them, carefree, silent, and endless. I learn it daily, learn it with many pains, for which I am grateful. Patience is all! --Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
That's much more eloquent than "be patient," don't you think.
So, I'm envisioning a doll body with this quote, probably created by running a piece of muslin ironed to some freezer paper (or maybe wonder under) through my printer. Then lots of beading and embellishment. I want to use a watch face for the head. Great idea, right? Until you go shopping for watch faces. I checked Michael's today. No luck. I even went to the antique mall and browsed through a bunch of booths looking at old junk. I saw a few watches, but none were perfect or cheap. I considered printing a clip art watch face on fabric and sewing it onto the body. Not the same. So, of course, I turned to ebay. I have bids on two lots.
Watch parts which I would use for embellishments, arms, feet, etc
And watch faces which I would hope to use for the head and have extras for other projects or for swapping.
I hope I win the auctions and they arrive with haste. Until then, I should work on creating the body.
Of course, I've got some other projects underway and now that the house is empty of guests and the kids go back to school next week, I can get back to some of that stuff.
So, I've been thinking about the Quilting Arts challenge about making a guardian angel "doll." I have thought about entering every challenge they have ever issued, and I did submit an atc to their call for submissions, but I've never really put in a lot of creative thought and action behind a project. Until now. (Right?)
The challenge asks, Who is your fantasy guardian angel and what does she or he look like? Show us in our Fantasy Guardian Angel Art Doll Challenge. The requirments include using fabric, must have wings and between 6" and 12." (By the way, I have often wondered why the Quilting Arts challenges are rarely specifically quilts. I mean, this is totally a doll challenge and we're not talking about Art Doll Quarterly. Though that is also a beautiful publication. Other challenges have included boxes and books made with fabric. Of course, this leads us back to the question of what is a quilt. And we don't really want to go there.)
So, when I think of the guardian angel of my creativity, it's all about time. My mantras include:
- be patient
- just do it
- it will happen
- no hurry
- make time
- tomorrow is another day
- urgency in the doing -- not the achieving.
These may not all seem to go together, but it's a bit of what runs through my head.
And then I came across this amazing quote in the most recent issue of Somerset Studio.
In this there is no measuring with time. A year doesn’t matter; ten years are nothing. To be an artist means not to compute or count; it means to ripen as the tree, which does not force its sap, but stands unshaken in the storms of spring with no fear that summer might not follow. It will come regardless. But it comes only to those who live as though eternity stretches before them, carefree, silent, and endless. I learn it daily, learn it with many pains, for which I am grateful. Patience is all! --Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
That's much more eloquent than "be patient," don't you think.
So, I'm envisioning a doll body with this quote, probably created by running a piece of muslin ironed to some freezer paper (or maybe wonder under) through my printer. Then lots of beading and embellishment. I want to use a watch face for the head. Great idea, right? Until you go shopping for watch faces. I checked Michael's today. No luck. I even went to the antique mall and browsed through a bunch of booths looking at old junk. I saw a few watches, but none were perfect or cheap. I considered printing a clip art watch face on fabric and sewing it onto the body. Not the same. So, of course, I turned to ebay. I have bids on two lots.
Watch parts which I would use for embellishments, arms, feet, etc
And watch faces which I would hope to use for the head and have extras for other projects or for swapping.
I hope I win the auctions and they arrive with haste. Until then, I should work on creating the body.
Of course, I've got some other projects underway and now that the house is empty of guests and the kids go back to school next week, I can get back to some of that stuff.
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