Jaye – Page 40 – Artquiltmaker Blog

More O9P

Another part of the wackiness of the weekend was adding to my nine patch stash for the Octagon Nine Patch. I made some progress on adding to my nine patch pile.

when I stand next to the piece, I feel like I am making progress, but when I look at it in a photo I post here, I think I will never be finished. I guess that is why I take photos, then I can compare. For example, this photo with the last one.

Octagon Nine Patch - detail - April 2015 — Octagon Nine Patch – detail – April 2015

One part of my attitude is that people comment on how small the blocks are. Yes they are on the smallish side, but are by no means miniatures.

I think I need to sew some parts together pretty soon. That will make the piece much smaller, of course, but will also enhance the feeling of accomplishment.

Box Full of Letters Progress

First 3 blocks - Box Full of Letters — First 3 blocks – Box Full of Letters

I have been preparing for the CQFA Retreat. I have been putting projects, supplies and parts into project bags in preparation to grab and go.

I was all over the place sewing over the weekend and this was part of the wackiness. I don’t know why, but I decided to sew a couple of the blocks rather than waiting until the CQFA Retreat.

I guess they look ok. I am not completely invested in the project yet, but I have some ideas and I want to move forward. It might be a palette cleanser

Finished: Russian Rubix

Normally, I don’t like to post until the quilt is completely done, but the binding on is good enough for me this time. I never thought I would finish the binding on this monster, but I finally did. I am only half way through the sleeve, but that will be finished soon.

I started thinking about this quilt in July of 2013, so it is under 2 years that it took me to complete it. That is pretty good for a quilt this size.

I am pleased with how it looks. I don’t find the grey background to be too depressing and the back is very fun. Both Kelly and Gerre asked me about the barcode fabric. It is from Timeless Treasures and I bought it awhile ago I found some on Etsy a few weeks ago when Kelly asked.

Various & Sundry #5 – Mid-April

Stay tuned for a special event coming on the blog on May 9.

Purchase some gifts for Mom at my Cafe Press Shop. Cafe Press is having a 20% off sale April 19-23 with the coupon code, MOMSROCK. Restrictions apply. Thanks for your support!

Success!
I finally found instructions for the folded Starburst Wreath. I made a large one a long time ago with a friend and several smaller ones as gifts thereafter, but time goes by and I sewed more than I folded. I kept looking at the large one I have in my workroom and decided I wanted to make another one. I am no longer able to contact the friend, so I started looking on the web. My first search terms were not finding what I needed and I gave up, but the other morning I tried again on Pinterest. After a couple of tries, I was successful and now have the directions again. Hooray!!! Look for some folded paper stars coming to a blog near you!

Other Artists
I love the pattern/block design Bonnie Hunter showed on Instagram recently for Four Patches. These aren’t my colors, but I can easily imagine it in brighter colors.

SherriD reviews a recipe on her blog for a breakfast treat. The review was really great and made me think of quiltmaking patterns and how some of us need more direction in our patterns than others.

Patterns, Magazines, Books & Projects
If you have been following along with the Twilter Round Robin, you will be interested in Molly’s finished-or almost finished- top. I also love the word Rosevale which is mentioned on her blog. It reminds me of Anne’s, of Anne of Green Gables, imagination.

I just love this chicken imagery. I am not much of a chicken-as-decorative-image person, but this one is bright and cheerful.

Exhibits, Tutorials and Events
Quilting Daily had an article about using MistyFuse.

Jolly Jabber update: English Paper Piecing with Jen Kingwell

“Not Fade Away: Sharing Quilt Stories in the Digital Age is a two-day conference presented by the nonprofit Quilt Alliance. This biennnial educational event is for all who care about documenting, preserving and sharing the stories of quilts and their makers. Come meet filmmakers, artists, curators, historians, educators and fellow quilt afficionados. Enjoy a power-packed weekend of learning, socializing and sharing at the Not Fade Away Conference in conjunction with the Sacred Threads Exhibition in our shared venue, Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. ”

I wonder if this applies to the general quiltmaker, someone like you who just makes quilts?

Not Fade Away Conference tickets are now on sale.

Judy Martin will be giving the keynote address at this June’s NQA show in Little Rock, Arkansas. She says she has long had respect for the National Quilting Association and all they do to promote quilting. You can read more about the show and the NQA at http://www.nqaquilts.org/quiltshow/site/2015/ In addition to the keynote address, she’ll also be doing a lecture the next day.

July 17-18 in Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia and take a look at the full information.

The International Quilt Study Center & Museum’s April 2015 Quilt of the Month is Hexagon Mosaic by Grace McCance Snyder. One of Nebraska’s most famous quiltmakers, Snyder has been recognized for the technical complexity and quality of her quilts.

Kathy Matthews put up a Double Churn Dash block tutorial. Those tiny Churn Dashes are pretty cute!

Websites, Articles and Information
Quilting Focus is a new website for quiltmakers in NZ. Our own, Ms. Lottie of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady fame is one of the teachers (owners??).

Article about Why Thread Matters from Jillily Studios.

Judy Martin and her husband Steve Bennett were interviewed about their game, Quilt Show. Have you played it? You can buy the game directly from their website.

Need standard bed sizes?

I found a more definitive article on Jenny Doan. Yes, I am fascinated!

Want to read about <sniff> the downfall of Etsy?

Fabric, Tools, Supplies & Embellishments

Perhaps you have the Apple watch on your ‘must have’ list. Not me as I cannot see the screen, but if you are on the fence, take a look at the quiltmaker’s version. I don’t know if it means anything that it was posted on April 1, 2015….

Kitty has some brief reviews of apps to help you draft quilt blocks.

I have been thinking about tools lately. I have had a number of my tools since I started quilting back in the Dark Ages. My mat is most on my mind. With these thoughts swirling around my mind, I came across this article about ruler inaccuracy from the Badass Quilters Society.

I was VERY disappointed in the recent Jo-ann fabric Daffodil Dash. I was so excited to get some 50% off coupons and it turned out I was unable to use any of them. Everything I wanted and needed was already on sale for a much lower percentage off. I guess the coupon did the job, because it got me in the store and I did buy a few things, but not everything. I have always been skeptical of Jo-ann’s coupons and their real value, but I have been sucked in recently. I am back on the skepticism bandwagon.

Multi-Color Donation Quilt

I finally got my act together to put the postage stamp blocks together. I really was feeling like I didn’t have anything to show at the BAMQG meeting, so I decided on Friday night to get these blocks together. I used leftover pieces from another quilt for the sashing. I really didn’t think about the piece too much; I just sewed. Yesterday morning I finished the border and made the back.

Gerre and I made them together back in February. We used them pieces as leaders and enders as needed when we made the Hawaiian quilt. I don’t see any mention of these blocks, so who really knows?

I wanted to try a different setting that the other versions of the postage stamp donation quilt tops I have made. I was going for a row quilt kind of look. I used different widths of sashing for the vertical pieces, because I used what I had. It isn’t my best work, but it was very intuitive and quick. I think that it was kind of amazing that I was able to let the control go and just put the piece together. You can see that there are squares of the same fabrics near each other. Normally, I would have spread them out. Essentially, I just put the blocks on the floor and sewed them together. Kind of bare bones sewing. I hope someone will like its quirkiness.

To be honest, I haven’t really sewn seriously for quite a while. I have sewn a couple of EPP stars and used the opportunity of this piece to make some more O9P nine patches, but nothing else. It felt really good to throw this together. Very freeing.

The back is made from greys that I pulled out of my grey bin. They are older fabrics in the depressing color range of grey. Summer is coming and I find myself divesting myself of colors deemed too depressing and working with even brighter colors than usual.

Creative Prompt #306: Knickers

Don’t get your knickers in a twist!

traditional golf apparel

There’s a saying in the UK that when you’re scared, you just need to put on your big girl knickers and get on with it. It’s about being brave, being strong and just doing it. (Big Girl Knickers.com)

Betabrand Black Bike to Work Knickers

Kitsy’s Knickers –This blue cloth armor of item level 621 goes in the “Legs” slot. It is looted from Drakonid Monstrosity.

Knickers is the Dining Room at Bucknell Golf Club and is open during the golf season for breakfast and lunch to both the general public and all Club members.

Juggler Knickers combine the benefits of compression and the power of an ice bath in a single piece of gear.

knick-knack KNICKERS by anna maria horner.

“The Power Of Orange Knickers” song by Tori Amos

Bike knickers, known as cycling breeches in the UK, were designed and created for cyclists, for use in touring, randonneuring, or commuting.

The Queen’s Knickers by Nicholas Allen

Before or after you hit the links, a stop at Knickers Pub is an essential part of the Coral Oaks Golf Course experience.

Jolly St. Knickers Run Sunday, December 14th, 2014.

Medusa In My Knickers

Knickers – 2007 movie

French Knickers

knickerbockers

Knickers of Hyde Park

Knicker suits

Definition: “1: loose-fitting short pants gathered at the knee;2: chiefly British :underpants
Origin of KNICKERS knickerbockers
First Known Use: 1881″ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online)

Knickers is the correct terminology for a women’s undergarments, the undergarment which is not a bra.(Urban Dictionary)

Kitsy’s Knickers (WOW) – This blue cloth armor of item level 621 goes in the “Legs” slot. It is looted from Drakonid Monstrosity.

The T. Barry Knicker Company has custom made classic golf attire

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 get familiar with your blog or website.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

Seeing EPP Progress

I added two stars to my larger piece.

I feel like adding only two stars to the larger piece is major progress. I like the symmetry of the [kind of] rectangle. Somehow this looks like I am making something.

My plan is to make the piece big enough to cover a bed. I will slowly make the stars as I travel with the Grand President (HA! DH) then add them to the piece when I am at home.

I know it seems like I should be able to take this piece with me. It is, however, 1.5′ x ~1 foot and I want to keep it as flat as possible because of the cardboard EPP templates still inside. Making one at a time is better for travel.

I have a bin of stars that I have been making. I pulled out my bin of stars and picked some to add to the piece later. I made the stars and stored them in the bin thinking that I would just make the stars and put them together eventually. I couldn’t wait, thus I started putting the piece together into what you see above.

New View of ATCs

I did finally do the prep I had been intending to do to make ATCs. I cut two pieces of fabrics about 14″ x 12.5″. I marked the bottom layer of the ATC fabric into ATC sizes. I also cut some layers of Pellon for the middle. Then I sewed along the grid. I cut off 4 ATCs and began to decorate them.

I did the sewing in the strip format. Later I hand sewed some stitches using Aurifil embroidery thread before I cut them apart.

I ran into some problems which I can fix when I cut the next strips off. I have a label that I put onto each ATC. I sewed around the whole ATC before I put the label on and that meant that the stitching around the label showed up through to the front. I think that it limits my design ability. I limited that problem by using matching thread and I don’t think the extra stitching shows up on the front.

I won’t design them all at once. I’ll do a few at a time, but I have the basics done.

I am glad I finally got to work prepping ATCs for the next several swaps. I am also glad that I learned something about preparing ATCs in this manner.

Disneyland Inspiration Post

One of the bonuses of living in California is that Disneyland is no more than a day’s drive away. When I was a kid, it was a couple of hours away and I was fortunate enough to have parents who took us there every year.

At some point, I was old enough to refuse to ride the roller coasters and I became okay with visiting the Haunted Mansion. I have been on all of the rides and seen most of the shows. I still enjoy the park and its attractions, but now I look at the details gain inspiration from them.

I have some bits and pieces that are supposed to be part of a challenge for CQFA. I didn’t know what do with them until I saw the seahorse on top of King Triton’s Carousel. KTC is really in California Adventure (a poor stepsister to Disneyland, but great details as well).

I like the stylized motif. The large nose (bill? beak??) and the very unrealistic outline, which is not cartoonish.

When I saw this, my idea was to applique’ a seahorse to a piece of fabric and then use the fusible pieces as a kind of border – clustered in a corner or something.

It was very high up, so this is the best picture I could get even using my extreme zoom.

I thought of Kelly when I saw this grate (yes, I look at everything), because she is an excellent quilter. I posted it on Twitter and asked how people would make it. Predictably I got the gamut of responses. One interesting response, from Dan Rouse, was EPP, which I didn’t think of! I am not sure how that would work, but I am enjoying thinking about it.

I am pretty sure I have seen some fabric with this sort of motif. I may even have some.

With the O9P quilt, I am on the octagon/snowball bandwagon. I saw this motif on the floor at Midway Mania (fun attraction, by the way) and am determined to put this on the list of borders to make. Alternatively, it would make a good row quilt using vertical rows.

I would make the pieces inside the octagon larger, perhaps a nine patch so that the portions of patches were not so small. The octagon border would also have bigger pieces OR one piece per side. I would have to see what looked better. Seams, you know.

I would also not break up the corners outside of the octagon (that would make the octagon into a square). It would just be one triangle. It would be an interesting challenge.

This vase was a quick drive by photo. I saw it as we walked by at a leisurely pace and didn’t take a photo. Then we were fighting our way through the parade crowd and I knew I wouldn’t have another chance, so I got ready and took the photo as I was walking by. I slowed down, but didn’t stop lest I be run over.

It is a good outline motif and could be appliqued. I see some piecing opportunities for the vase itself, though I would not want to piece the spiral handles.

I would have to think about the circle. I think it adds a lot to the motif as a whole, but would I want to applique’ it?

Finally, I cannot leave you without some tile. This tile motif was a floor, again in CA Adventure and it looks like it would be an interesting and not to difficult baby quilt pattern.

Well, I called this post Disneyland Inspiration when all of the motifs were from California Adventure. I really don’t think of CA as a separate place so I will leave it and you to enjoy the inspiration.

Inspiration Monday

I saw these flowers when I was on a walk around the neighborhood. It is interesting what I see when I walk around the neighborhood on the same streets. I see different things or I see how things change as the days change.

Flying Geese Exchange

I thought I would write much more about the Flying Geese swap than I actually have. The last time I posted was back in January. My lack of reporting is not an indication of lack of interest.

This is a great exchange and I am really enjoying it. First, the FGs are easy to make. Next, they have a good impact. Third, there is a lot of bang for my buck. I take 5 squares and come up with 4 Flying Geese. Also, they are like potato chips. I can’t make just one set at a time. Once I get started, I want to make bunches of them. Finally, though I am sure there are other positives, all the colors I try work well.

So, the photo at right is the sum total of the Flying Geese I have made and received until last week. Not, it’s not a great picture, but, as you saw on my last Design Wall Monday, my design wall is backed to the gills and there is no space. I’ll get a better picture at some point, but for now you’ll have to be happy with this one.

Aren’t they pretty and happy?

Finished: Fabric of the Year 2013

I brought this quilt to the last BAMQG meeting and someone was shocked that I had only finished 2013 not 2014. I have barely finished cutting for Fabric of the Year 2014 and have not yet begun to arrange the pieces. Fabric of the Year 2015 is now a glimmer in my sight as well. I seem to have two or three of these going at once. I wonder how I keep them all straight?

Anyway, the process is a bit arduous. Cutting the fabric patches takes me all year. I take the time to get a sense of what I bought and used during the year. Then I have to arrange the patches into the top I want, then I have to sew, make the back, binding & sleeve and get the piece quilted. This all takes time. So, yes, just now this is Fabric of the Year 2013 finished. Stay tuned for the others. 😉

There were a lot of firsts in this quilt. This was the first time I arranged the pieces from the center out starting with white/lights. This process was also the first time I heavily used my camera as a tool to arrange the patches. I took a lot of pictures, converted them to black and white and rearranged according to the value indicated in the black & white photo. If a patch stuck out, I moved it. Of course, I didn’t move purple patches into the green section. Some of the patches look odd if you look at the piece close, but standing back the placement works. The gradation is a big improvement.

The back is a couple of Philip Jacobs prints. I got some comments that they clashed, but I like the boldness. I also used the wrong fabric for the sleeve! I got two quilts back at the same time and used the edge of the Russian Rubix, that was cut off to square up the quilt, instead of the edge of the Fabric of the Year 2013. Oh well. At least people can see the sleeve.

I am pleased that this one is done. As of this quilt, I have no (yes, NONE) quilts at the quilter. Of course, the Tarts Come to Tea is still in the process, but that is a story for another day…

Creative Prompt #305: Milk

milk and cookies

“This two-step milk revolution may have been a prime factor in allowing bands of farmers and herders from the south to sweep through Europe and displace the hunter-gatherer cultures.” Nature article

coconut milk

goat’s milk

mother’s milk

2008 film: “Milk is a 2008 American biographical film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office.” (Wikipedia)

Definition: “Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother’s antibodies to its young and can reduce the risk of many diseases. Milk contains many other nutrients^[1] and the carbohydrate lactose. The majority of the world’s population is lactose intolerant.^[2]

As an agricultural product, milk is extracted from mammals during or soon after pregnancy and is used as food for humans. Worldwide, dairy farms produced about 730 million tonnes of milk in 2011,^[3] from 260 million dairy cows.^[4] India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk, yet neither exports nor imports it. New Zealand, the European Union‘s 28 member states, Australia, and the United States are the world’s largest exporters of milk and milk products. China and Russia are the world’s largest importers of milk and milk products.^[5]^[6]

Throughout the world, there are more than six billion consumers of milk and milk products. Over 750 million people live within dairy farming households.^[7]” (Wikipedia)

splash of milk

The Dairy Council produces and gathers a wealth of nutrition information from a wide variety of worldwide sources to provide facts relating to milk

breast milk

Milk River

whole milk

Milk of Magnesia

skim milk

Harvey Milk

2% milk

MILK Photo Books and Albums

Milk Bar (San Francisco)

Milk Queen

Welcome to MooMilk.com, a fun and educational website about cows and milk with facts, contests, games and recipes.

App: Out of Milk

milky

Allergy to cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in infants and young children.

Milk: machine learning toolkit for Python

Britain’s ‘flashiest playboy’ splashes out £10,000 on a bath that runs pure chocolate milk for his girlfriend… and it costs £1,000 every time

Muscle Milk

milk and honey

Milk studios is a premier, full service photography studio in both New York and Los Angeles.

National Milk Producers Federation

The print journal milk created by Larry Sawyer in 1998 became milkmag.org in 1999.

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America

Milk Boutique located at 8209 West Third Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Milk Music lets you adjust what songs play, based on factors like release date and popularity.

milk-trafficking gang known as the Rawesome Three

Plant milk: “Plant milk is a general term for any milk-like product that is derived from a plant source. There is no formal or legal definition for plant milk. Plant milks have been consumed for centuries in various cultures, both as regular drinks (such as the Spanish horchata) and as a substitute for milk, such as by some Christian denominations during Lent. The most popular varieties internationally are soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk.

There are a variety of reasons for consuming plant milk, including health conditions such as lactose intolerance, milk allergy and PKU. Religious/spiritual reasons; veganism and ovo-vegetarianism;simple taste preference.

In the United States, soy milk was long the most popular non-dairy milk, but starting around 2010 almond milk began to see an explosion in popularity, and in 2013 it surpassed soy milk as the most popular variety.^[1] Other popular milks in the US are rice and coconut. In Europe, soy and oat milk are the most popular varieties, sold even in average supermarkets; as opposed to almond milk, which is usually more expensive, and is only found in health food stores.^{[citation needed]} There is also hazelnut milk and milk from peas and lupin.^[2]

Plant milks are also used in substitutes for other dairy products, such as ice cream (see plant cream) and yogurt (for example, soy yogurt).” (Wikipedia)

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

Drinkable liquids

Almond milk, a milk-like beverage made from almonds
Breast milk, milk produced by a human mammary gland
Cow’s milk, milk produced by cows
Coconut milk, a milk-like substance derived from a coconut
Grain milk, any of various milk substitutes made from fermented grain or flour
Plant milk, any of various milk substitutes made from plants
Rice milk, a milk-like beverage made from rice
Soy milk, a milk-like beverage made from soybeans

Arts, entertainment, and media

Fictional characters

Milk (Dragon Ball) or Chi Chi, a character in Dragon Ball media

Film

The Times of Harvey Milk, a 1984 Academy Award-winning documentary film about Harvey Milk
Milk (film), a 2008 Academy Award-winning film about Harvey Milk
Milk (Süt), a 2008 feature film by Turkish writer/director Semih Kaplano?lu

Music

Apps

Milk Music, a music app available in the Samsung Electronics app store

Ensembles

M.I.L.K, a K-Pop girl group
Milk (band), an alternative band led by Jeff Tremaine
Milk (English band)
Milk Inc., a vocal trance band
Milk (Band Boston), an American rock band

Songs

“Milk” (Kings of Leon song)
“Milk” (song), by Garbage

Printed works

Milk magazine

Television

“Milk” (How I Met Your Mother), a 2006 episode of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother

People

Milk, a Chinese pop artist and former member of the Taiwanese band Energy (band)
Harvey Milk (1930–1978), American politician and gay rights activist

Other uses

Milk Inc., a company founded by Kevin Rose to work on mobile Web concepts

Last Days of Primal Green 2

The last days of the CQFA Show Primal Green 2 is at the San Francisco Public Library. I went to see it one day on a trip to the City, but this is as much a reminder for me to see it again as it is to encourage you to go.

Did you go and see the show? The 24th is the last day to see it. Primal Green2 is a show of environmental art quilts at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library.

The Wallace Stegner Environmental Center is one of the special collections at the Main Branch and, after a year of work with the Library, CQFA has over 20 quilts and other fiber art on display. The quilts all have an environmental theme. The show will hang until Friday April 24 and be available to viewers during the Library’s normal open hours. Don’t wait until the last minute! Oops! It is the last minute. Go TODAY!

Primal Green 2, the art quilt exhibition at the San Francisco Public Library, has some information on the Green Stacks portion of the SFPL website. Hope you can see the show.

Hope you can stop by and see it. Check the library’s website for hours.