Jaye – Page 112 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Creative Prompt #167: Solitaire

card game

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Solitaire is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Solitaire is an album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the fall of 1973 by Columbia Records.

Solitaire, A Rose

The morning rose you touched still stands.
And see how sweet, how sweet this one,
this single one it smells when in the sun?

And each petal falls,
once full when open is now gone.
Each single one by they are young,
like all the rest now gone.

Rare such flowers once were loved,
when blind are cast aside.
To see each loved each every one.
But one not loved by any one.

And loved is this a single one.
Solitaire,
is played by hand then picked,
by wind and gone.

Jane Seymour played Solitaire in Live and Let Die

Definition: Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself or with other people. In the USA, it may refer to any card game played by oneself; the British use the term Patience to refer to solitaire with cards. The term “solitaire” is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout of tiles, pegs or stones rather than cards. These games include Peg solitaire and Mahjong solitaire. Most solitaire games function as a puzzle which, due to a different starting position, may (or may not) be solved in a different fashion each time.

kind of diamond ring

Neil Sedaka album

Ski movie

“The Way”/”Solitaire” is the second commercial double A-side CD single by Clay Aiken released on March 16, 2004, on the RCA label.

a pipelaying vessel

a superhero comic book created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Johnson in 1993 for Malibu Comics.

“Solitaire Unraveling” is a song by the American industrial metal band Mushroomhead and the lead single from their first major label album XX, released in 2001

Solitaire

Silently I stepped around
not to disturb anyone with a sound.
Just to enjoy the morning silence
where my mind could wander around.

Enjoy the peace in the air
without intruding voices everywhere
and enjoy the solitaire
that the morning held there.

17 September 2010

David Harris

Make your response simple. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece. Take 5 minutes. Just respond and create a creative habit.

Please post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.

The Creative Prompt Project has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs or websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

Tile as Inspiration

I walked down S. Michigan Street in Chicago towards the Art Institute of Chicago one day. I am a sucker for architectural details and saw tons. I was in a rush, though, because I only had a little while to check out the AIC.

On my way back, I ducked into vestibules and lobbies to take photos. I was rewarded by this tile floor. I want to make this border. I need to figure out how to make this border!

I think that the border could be divided up into blocks to make the piecing easier and more straightforward to piece.

Notice the little corner treatment inside the straight green inside border.

I even kind of like the green and gold, though I wouldn’t do all that piecing, then create a green and gold quilt with such an elaborate border.

Several of these blocks are spread over the center of floor that has the border above. I glanced at it and thought “nine patch,” then I looked at it again and was intrigued because of the way the middle squares (green in this rendition) are smaller and part of the space disappears into the background. I really like the way the yellow squares are much larger. I’ll have to try making one of these.

Swoon #9

I quickly made up this next Swoon block on Monday night. I was blatantly avoiding my regular household tasks. I found it to be an intellectual challenge to keep the background lined up so that it didn’t look strange.

I am pretty happy that I did such a good job. I am also pleased that I was still able to use Deb Tucker’s technique to make the Flying Geese and the Triangle Technique to make the Triangle Squares.

Now I have to decide if I am going to make more blocks or if I am going to stop and put these together. I have an interest in using the pink dot on white for the background in another block.

We’ll see.

Corner Store Once More

Apparently, I am still thinking about this quilt and you are, too.

Rhonda wrote in a comment “I’ve been thinking a lot about this quilt. Probably because the whole idea of a “souless quilt” is so sad! If this were my souless quilt, here’s what I would do. I would keep it as is, including the white border that is the same width as the squares. Then I would add a 6- or 8-inch wide border in a warm solid color, maybe red, or orange, or magenta. The border would need to be wide enough to balance out the white with color. I would probably do the binding in the same solid as the wide border. Maybe then it would look like the border was trying to contain/constrain all those active little triangles that are dying to get out of the box, and create some tension. Some applique on the border of escaping/leaking triangles would be fun, too. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.”

When she wrote that I thought I would see how the quilt would look with a red border. I’m not sure, though I do see an improvement. I bought the red for something else, but it does add something to the quilt. I would have to make the back larger, if I decided to add another border.

Infinity Alternate Layouts

CLW's Infinity Layout — CLW’s Infinity Layout

My SIL kindly sent me some photos of the layouts she tested before putting her Infinity blocks together. It is interesting to see the use of color to create the layout. This type of layout did not even occur to me. I was thinking more about the wreath effect of the piecing.

CLW's Infinity Layout #2 — CLW’s Infinity Layout #2

I am really glad my SIL sent me these photos so I could be reminded of the other ways to layout blocks.

A-B-C Challenge Sashing

This is a fabric I bought at Quiltology. I didn’t have the blocks with me, but I thought it might work. In the end, a person has make visually decisions visually. Looking at it with the blocks on the design wall, I am not so sure. I think the grey has too much beige or brown in it, but it isn’t terrible.

I have to make a few more blocks, but the more important thing I need to figure out is this sashing thing.

I thought the grey Half Moon Dot would work, but looking at in the photo makes me think that the dots are too large and it makes the piece look too busy. It’s too bad. I do like those dots, but not for this piece. I do have to think of something to do with the Half Moon Street Collection, though. Soon.

The dots were a good idea, though, so I looked at some other dots I had. No shortage of dots, of course.

I have to use a fabric of which I have enough (one of the bad things about stashing fabric is that you might have the perfect fabric, but not have enough of it: design challenge, I think, yes.)

I like the large dot a lot. I like it because it looks cheerful. I also like it because it showcases the blocks better than the grey does. I do worry that the white will run into the white of some of the backgrounds I used. I also worry about the colors of the dots not being the same, but I think the colors of the dots are similar enough, so that is not so much of a worry. I don’t think the Zoe Pearns Sweet Nothings dots don’t conflict too much with these large dots.

This small dot works, I think, but the dot might be too small.

Click to make the last photo larger to see how the small dots look against the blocks. The small dot works well with the Zoe Pearns Sweet Nothings in the blocks. It is also bright enough, but the white doesn’t seem to suck the life out of this piece.

What do you think?

Infinity Quilt Border

This is the fabric I thought I would use for a border first. I have it in my fabric closet already, but I only have a yard, so I don’t think I would be able to add it lengthwise (the stripes running parallel to the edge of the quilt). I guess I should have taken a picture of the fabric oriented in the way I was thinking of using it.

Oh well, use your imagination.

I do like the color of it – actually the color feel of it. It has the right feel to go with the rest of the quilt. It is a very restful border. I am concerned that I don’t have enough yardage and I don’t want to be fumbling around trying to make it work. I usually buy enough of a striped fabric for bindings and not borders. A yard is usually enough for a bias binding and if it isn’t, I have no business making a quilt that big.

I bought this piece at Quiltology. I tried to drape it so that you could see how it would look if I added it to the quilt as a border. How did I do? The colors aren’t quite right, but I do like adding a bit of yellow. One thing about adding these types of colors brings out some of the fabrics in the blocks that tend towards green.

I have to say that I am bit concerned about the grey border I added. I thought it would be the final border of the quilt, but then decided that the quilt needed to be finished off with something a bit darker.

My concern lies with the grey. It is very different from the white in the blocks, which is why I added it. I wonder, though, if it isn’t so different that it doesn’t work. I kind of like it, but I don’t want people snickering behind their hands at my poor judgment.

This piece, also purchased at Quiltology, has much more green it. I didn’t realize that it had so much green until I got it home. I think that this is an issue of the type of light I live in. When I saw it in my workroom, I thought it had much too much green, but seeing it in the photo makes me think that it also brings out the blocks with green in them.

Frankly, in the end, I don’t care that much. I would like to be done with this project and I don’t want to spend much more time agonizing about border fabric. alternatively, I don’t want to look at it after it is finished and wish I had done something different.

Again with the artistic angst! I hope this isn’t becoming a habit.

Quiltology

I went to a quilt shop while in Chicago called Quiltology. I got myself there via the El, which was fun, though, I thought it was a bit noisy. I was able to get myself there by reading the shop’s website. They have a nice page detailing how to get to the shop via a variety of modes of transportation.

The shop can be found at:

1221 W Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
Tel: 773-549-6628
Email: info@quiltology.com

You might recognize this shop from the Quilty show. They film the show at this shop. I was shocked when I walked in, because the shop is very small. Much smaller than it looks on TV.

I had to admit that I was disappointed and made a snap judgment that I would escape with my wallet intact.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Colette, the owner, is a delightful person, but also seemed strong and a good business owner. She has filled the shop with a good variety of fabrics. Not only does she have many modern fabrics, there are plenty of solids and dots as well. I was surprised, and delighted, to see that she also had a good collection of batiks and 1930s prints. Quiltology also had a number of Minkee fabrics, which she said she suggested for backs, especially of baby quilts. The modern prints are more of the medium-large prints than the really large prints. I think they are easier to use. I thought the batiks and 1930s prints were a bold choice for a modern quilt shop (my assumption). Though she didn’t say, I think they were added to appeal to different types of quiltmakers and expand the horizons of some of the young mothers that patronize the shop.

Colette seems to be the type of person who I would invite to be in a mini group. She learned to quilt before me and we have some of the same sensibilities about how quiltmaking should be taught and the problems with learning via pattern rather than by sampler quilt. We also discussed the lack of interest in drafting quilt blocks.

The second photo to the right shows some of the batiks and many of the solids available in the shop. The photo also shows the selection of books and notions. The black and white quilt to the left of the quilt. Colette is using this as a cover for the doorway to the back. You can see a corner of the cutting table, middle left.

The shop is bright and filled with light. The shelves are white and the wooden floor is a lovely honey color (Kastanianhonig – chestnut honey, specifically).

I would highly recommend visiting this shop if you are in Chicago. You won’t be disappointed.

Clocks

It was sort of a clock week last week. I went to Chicago for work. I don’t like sleeping in hotels as I never sleep very well. I do love looking at the sights and sounds and details of new cities. I tend to take lots of photos of details. I saw several displays of clocks on this trip, which was very interesting to me. I really liked the angles and colors of the display at SFO.

One appealing aspect was the repetition. There are so many of the robot clocks that the arrangement is interesting because of the repetition.

I became more interested in the design of clocks when my son was small. He was fascinated with clocks and always pointed them out to me. He also dragged one around for a year that just fell apart in his 2 year old hands.

Clocks are, to me, the epitome of something that can be useful and beautiful. Because of the way we live, we all need clocks. They also can be small, so they are easy to buy or make and the design possibilities are endless, as shown in the detail photo, right.

While in Chicago, I visited the Art Institute of Chicago. Regardless, I was determined to do that. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I kind of wandered through and I found my creative juices start to flow. At the Art Institute, they had a lot of clocks, which was interesting to me. I love looking at items from Decorative Arts collections and don’t remember seeing so many clocks in other displays.

The gold is quite a lot in this piece, but I really liked it. It reminds me of the Klimt painting the Kiss. Klimt was Austrian, or worked in Austria, too. The AIC has more information about the clock online. I wish all museums did this.

I always wanted a tall clock like this in my house, but we don’t have the appropriate scale of house. Perhaps in my mansion when I win the lottery? 😉

I cannot guarantee that this last photo is actually an Art Deco clock. I forgot to take a photo of the description. It has a kind of 50s look to it, too.

26 Projects – July Update

I have been in Chicago for work for a week and have had no opportunity to sew. I thought about bringing some handwork, but, in the end, just brought a book, my journal (especially to do studies for the Creative Prompt Project) and my iPad.

Prior to leaving, I saw a clear theme in my work style which manifested in me by picking up a UFO-type project and intensely working on it until it is finished. I don’t know if that strategy will work for me long term, but right at the moment I am getting projects completed.

I am, however, sick of this list. It feels a bit tyrannical to me. I really think these feelings come from the fact that I am mostly just finishing, e.g. only doing specific tasks and not working through the whole process. I am not not doing much designing of new projects.

This list, as mentioned before) wasn’t part of my plan for the year. It just evolved, which makes me tempted to bail. Alternatively, I could scratch items off of of the list, but I really want them to be completely finished before I do so. It is a good exercise, however, and provides good focus for my work. There isn’t a lot of down time when I have a list staring me in the face. though, without downtime, I don’t get to dream about creativity and new ideas. I have made a lot of good progress, but perhaps I need to take a break from these projects and make something fun that I want to make? Perhaps I need to remember that there is value in taking my time and doing good work? I have made more good progress since last time, which is good.

I am thinking that I may need to abandon another project or two that are languishing and going nowhere. There is no shame in being realistic, right?

Enough with the existential art angst, here is the list, again, still in no particular order, except that I have put some of the “mostly finished” projects at the end. This time, like last, I have moved the finished pieces off. Still 23 WIPs left, but only 17 that need intensive work to get them to the quilting stage. I am making progress. Really. I am.

Original Bullseye: needs border, backing, quilting and binding, which are all hard to do if you can’t find the project. It is lost. I know it is in there somewhere. As I mentioned, I did a test and found that my original idea didn’t work. I think a plain border will set off the blocks fine IF I ever find the top. Bleah!
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. Cutting fabrics as I go
A-B-C (A-Z) BAMQG Challenge – I am actually not sure if this should be considered a WIP (Please say no!), because I just barely have enough blocks with which to make something. I am making good progress. S and T blocks are done and now U and V blocks are next on the list. I am really thinking about just making all the blocks, putting sashing around them and then trimming the sashing a bit so the blocks are all a uniform size. It occurred to me today that the grey Half Moon fabric with big white polka dots might be an interesting sashing for this piece. They are not wildly off, but they are a bit off… I could bring them to BAMQG as the blocks are due. We’ll see.
Aqua-Red Sampler – steady progress has stopped and the class more than the quilt is really weighing on my mind. As far as I know Frances has finished her Dresden Plate, so perhaps we will start up again soon. The next class was going to be fusible machine applique’, but I haven’t gotten past cutting out the templates. Perhaps I should skip to machine piecing curves?
The Tarts Come to Tea: I haven’t quilted on this since April 2011. I need to work on the quilting. I was making good progress and then got sidetracked. I have been quilting another quilt and that is getting me back in the swing of quilting. Now that my machine is happier, perhaps it is a good time to take this piece out again? I would like to finish it.
Garden: I started this piece in a class with Pamela Allen in 2006. As mentioned, I used this piece for my beading demo for the 2012 EBHQ Voices in Cloth show (March 17), which means that I added some beads. I finished machine quilting this piece, removed some of the beads and have started to put beads back on to it. YAY! Handwork!
Flower Garden: I still find the ‘flowers’ too spiky. I think I need to soften them up a bit. I was thinking of putting larger petals over the spikes to soften them.
Moon and Stars: need to finish hand quilting. This quilt is not interesting. This is month 2 that I have thought this is a candidate for abandonment.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. Bits of this quilt keep falling off the shelf on which I have them stored. While I was machine quilting the Garden quilt, I kept finding bits of piecing stuck to various parts of my clothing. This is a good leaders and enders project and perhaps the patches jumping off the shelf was an omen.
See: needs satin stitching.
Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. I like the piece, but don’t know where to go from where I am. Mouth? Hair?
Spiderweb: need to make sure that I have the right number of blocks for the size quilt I want to make. Need to make sure I have the border pattern and start sewing border blocks.
Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors much.
Flower Sugar Hexagon: sewed more hexagons together. Sewing Y seams is a bit of a chore, so I get tired of doing it after awhile.
Young Man’s t-shirt quilt: have cut up the t-shirts and am still in the process of applying fusible. He cleaned out his drawers and found some more t-shirts to add to the quilt. Oh Yay! <– just a bit of sarcasm
~~New: Super Secret Project~~: top, back and binding made. Ready to go to the quilter. Stayed tuned.
~~FOTY 2011~~: at the quilter, needs binding.
~~Flowering Snowball~~: Top and back finished 5/13/2012; ready to go to the quilter
~~Stepping Stones~~: at the quilter, made binding, which she will sew on for me and then I need to hand sew.
~~Jelly Roll Race~~: at the quilter. Needs binding, quilting, sleeve.
~~New: Wonky 9 Patch~~: needs quilting and binding.
~~Corner Store~~: Top and back are made. It is ready to go to the quilter.
~~Super Secret Project #2~~: Top and back are made. It is ready to go to the quilter.
~~Infinity blocks~~: blocks sewn together into a quilt top, borders on. Need to make back and binding and take to quilter.

Finished or Abandoned projects that were on the list:

Stars for San Bruno #2: Finished! YAY!
Pavers. Finished! YAY!
Kissy Fish: Finished! Yay!
Pineapple: Abandoned; will remake blocks at a later time with more care.
Stars for San Bruno #3: Finished! YAY!
Food Quilt: Finished 5/24/2012. YAY!!!!

Garden Revealed

A few weeks ago, I spent a whole weekend, essentially, machine quilting the Garden quilt. I spent so long quilting it, because I am somewhat obsessive and like densely quilted quilts. It takes forever, but it looks great.

I thought I would get this piece framed like the Kissy Fish piece. On Kissy Fish, I didn’t pay much attention to the back, so the back looked fairly terrible: knots all over the place, long stitches joining sections, etc.

However, I took at look at that back after I quilted it and thought it looked really interesting. I quilt with different colors so the stitches blend into the fabric on the front. I don’t really care about the thread color on the back, because I didn’t think anyone would ever see it. I am in the habit of using the same thread color as bobbin color, so as a happy accident the colors of the quilting on the back look very cheerful.

In looking at the detail, it occurs to me that I now know why people like whole cloth quilts. In a way the back of this piece is like a whole cloth quilt.

BAMQG is having a challenge making a whole cloth quilt and I wasn’t really interested in doing the challenge, but looking at these photos makes me think that I might have an idea for a challenge piece.

Garden Back - Another View — Garden Back – Another View

A lot of the quilting I do, when I actually quilt, uses a regular foot rather than a walking foot. I haven’t felt confident in the last few years of my free motion quilting skills, so I have taken to using the regular foot. It works pretty well.

I did do some free motion quilting on this piece, as I mentioned, just to test my skills. I didn’t do too badly and have to say, again, how pleased I am at how my machine is performing.

Can You Piece This?

I thought this was an interesting design and thought it would be great challenge to try to piece it. It is from a piece of furniture.

Deco Block

I saw this as I was walking down the street. Interesting, don’t you think?