Author: JayeL

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

CQFA August Meeting

Saturday was the CQFA meeting and I actually made it! It was held in Maureen’s backyard. We sat around on outdoor chairs wearing hats and sunscreen had had our meeting. The meeting was followed by a workshop with Zoe Umholtz.

There is no news on the show, but I haven’t made my piece or my book yet, so I still have time.

August 2017 ATCs - CQFA
August 2017 ATCs – CQFA

My favorite part was the ATC exchange. I had mine made from early in the year when only Bron brought ATCs. We exchanged, I made another and didn’t have to scramble to make some before the meeting. Like Amy’s Color My Quilt piece, I need to get busy making ATCs for the October meeting. I have some schnibbles that I was eyeing the other day that might make great pieces.

In order from left to right, top row: Bron, Maureen and Diane.

Bottom row: Julie, Jaye, Angela, Nancy

My August 2017 ATCs
My August 2017 ATCs

I received some very nice pieces. There were two that I really wanted. I got one of them and am happy about that. Maureen (left, top) used some indigo pieces she made in a Zoe Umholtz workshop she took earlier. I think it was in honor of the workshop.

Nancy did some nice threadwork (right, top).

Diane (left, bottom) hasn’t been at a meeting in a long time, so it was great to see her. I saw her ATC and it made me want to pull out the others I have traded with her. She works in a similar style, so I think there would be some continuity.

I like the details on Julie’s piece (bottom, right) as well. The button and the little xes are wonderful and I like the texture.

indigo dyeing at CQFA
indigo dyeing at CQFA

I acted as workshop assistant for a few tasks, but mostly sat and knitted. I didn’t do any dyeing. Been there, done that and am happy to buy from people who enjoy it. I listened to Zoe’s introduction and watched as others folded and banded and dyed. I am also excited to see what comes out of the workshop. Julie got a lot of great photos and posted them.

Art Quilt Start: Background

As I said yesterday, I saw Sarah Ann Smith’s quilt, Speak Up, Speak Out and a whole bunch of stuff coalesced in my mind. Mind you, I didn’t even really know that all that stuff was rolling around. I have been feeling stressed out since the Inauguration and all of the stuff stressing me out suddenly came together.

Background 1
Background 1

As I said, I started working on my project from a couple of drawings in my journal. I had no measurements beyond “not big” when I started working on the  background.

I, again, used Mary Mashuta’s Pushed Neutral technique. I have done this in the past with other neutrals and now I use the same techniques with colors. This time, I worked with grey. Some of the greys are a little dark, but I keep telling myself the darks create disharmony, which is one thing I was trying to do. This quilt should unsettle you. I think, ultimately, the whole idea worked.

Background 2
Background 2

I did move some of the squares around to get the right mix of locations with darks and lights of grey.

This was the first layer.

Posts about Down the Drain

  1. I Have a Secret – 8/6/2017

Stars #2

I needed a break from quilting to do some piecing.

I had the Star blocks on the wall and had figured out how I wanted to put them together. I also wanted to get them done since the guild meeting is coming up and I’d like to having something to turn in. Since my design wall is overrun those blocks seemed to be the most logical project.

Stars #2 top
Stars #2 top

I put the blocks together in, basically, the arrangement I showed in the previous post.

I didn’t put the blocks together completely. I omitted some of the corner blocks in order to make the arrangement a little off balance. Some of the blocks share corner blocks. I think this adds movement to the quilt.

I think this quilt really shows what can happen if you keep the blocks on the design wall for awhile and look at them.

I have four more of these blocks and will make another quilt in a similar, but slightly different arrangement. I am not quite done playing with the arrangement.

I made a back for Stars #2 as well and will give both to the guild at the next meeting.

I Have a Secret

A few weeks ago I posted a Spark about having a secret. It was purely coincidental with the project I was working on.

Down the Drain: basted and ready to quilt
Down the Drain: basted and ready to quilt

I needed to work on this project, but I did not want comments or to provoke the storm I know will come with this post. I wasn’t quite ready. I still am not ready. As long as I still have freedom of speech I will post this quilt. I knew about the Threads of Resistance project and I would love to be a part of that, but I don’t do well with challenges. I wish I did because I’d love to be a part of that show.

The stress started on my birthday, which was January 20, not just because it was inauguration day, but also because I was at an event where people were happy to see President Obama leave office. They didn’t like him because he was black. For them it was No-Bama Day. For me, even though I didn’t know it at the time, it was the beginning of a stressful, distressing time.

I walked around waiting for my ATM card not to work, to be made subhuman, like in the Handmaid’s Tale. I started really to fear that the better country we were making would be dismantled. You might think we don’t need the EPA or the ACA and that is your right. I do not want to create a Sh*tstorm and this is not a political blog. I feel we do need clean air and health care for everyone. My feelings coalesced when I saw Sarah Ann Smith’s quilt, Speak Up, Speak Out.

Sarah Ann Smith's Quilt Speak Up, Speak Out
Sarah Ann Smith’s Quilt Speak Up, Speak Out

When I saw her quilt, I realized that another in my political art quilt series had been brewing in my head without me really knowing. I thought “this is the quilt I wanted to make.” I said so to Sarah and she said to make my version.

I thought about it for a long time, then I drew a picture in my journal. I thought that would be the end of it, but I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. I drew it again, a little more refined and more to scale.

I drew it over an over, continually refining, adding detail. The whole process went so smoothly that I kept going into piecing and cutting and sewing and quilting.

As I write this, the piece isn’t quite finished, but it will be soon (YAY! Another finish!). What happens to it after that, I don’t know.

Quilting with the 6600

Shockingly, I have been quilting. I have been working, pretty much, on one quilt for a month and I am finishing up the quilting.You’ll see the quilt soon

Quilting a quilt
Quilting a quilt

Yes, **I** am doing the quilting. Don’t expect greatness, because mostly I am doing straight line or straight-ish (as Kelly would say) line quilting.

I am really happy with the 6600. This machine is made for quilting. It has a built-in walking foot that works like a charm. I had very few tension problems even with different weights of Aurifil. While I miss not being able to piece, I am not dreading quilting like I was with my other machines. I think the larger space between the needle and the harp helps, too.

ColorPlay: Mt. Shasta

Mt. Shasta
Mt. Shasta

I totally forgot to do ColorPlay last week. I had a photo picked out and I completely forgot.

I took this photo from a plane window as I flew to Portland to see my broken YM. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day in the Bay Area and all the way to Portland AND in Portland as well. There was no fog and no rain. For once, I sat by the window and took a bunch of photos. I was able to see my house from the plane window!

Shasta-default
Shasta-default

Out of the gate, I got a fabulous default. I really have no complaints and am tempted just to finish up here with this one palette and move on with my life.

Shasta- Palette n.1
Shasta- Palette n.1

The colors are limited. No pinks, no yellows. I did a second palette anyway and I got a similar palette as the default, but different as well. This is definitely a monochromatic palette that would only be suitable for a two color (not two fabric) quilt, but not a quilt with a lot of complicated piecing.

Shasta- palette n.2
Shasta- palette n.2

I ended up with a palette of slightly lighter blues. Still blues, but different. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get another blue, monochromatic palette.

Shasta- palette n.3
Shasta- palette n.3

I did one last palette. I am getting a lot of same colors, so this is the last.

Final Tula Quilt

I wrote about the Tula quilt we were making for our friend Kelly who was moving to Scotland. We got together a few weeks ago to present the quilt. We had breakfast, chatted and made Kelly cry.

Kelly's Good-bye quilt 2017
Kelly’s Good-bye quilt 2017

Rhonda hosted the party and did the most work on finishing the quilt. Amanda and Gerre did the amazing job with the letters on the borders. Some of those pieces are tiny!

The rest of us made 2 blocks or the equivalent and did some of the quilting. The whole process was pretty fun and went smoothly.

Kelly's Good-bye quilt 2017 with peeps
Kelly’s Good-bye quilt 2017 with peeps

Mostly Manor HST Quilt

I finished trimming the HSTs I got as a kind of freebie from the Lozenge quilt at Craft Night.

My darling nephew asked me a question (or made a comment) about the HSTs and after answering I suggested I might enlist him to arrange them. He wandered off and that didn’t happen but my SIL picked them up and began arranging them. She came up with some different arrangements.

I am sure I will pick one of them when I get ready to put them together.

Pinwheels and squares
Pinwheels and squares

I like the one above because of the combination of combination of squares and pinwheels.

Gradated stripes
Gradated stripes

The one above is my favorite. I like the way she sort of gradated the colors. I have to add some white squares to the corner to make it into a square.

This will be a donation quilt and a good leaders and enders project (not that I need another one.

San Mateo County Fair 2017

The Fair is held in June and with the YM’s broken ankle and a big new client, it took me awhile to get this post together. Here it is.

San Mateo County Fair Prizes 2017
San Mateo County Fair Prizes 2017

I was tempted to call this post 4 Entries, 4 Prizes, but I thought that might a bit too much self congratulation. It is true, however. I entered four items into the fair and received four prizes.

FOTY 2015
FOTY 2015

SIL and I have determined that the way to get prizes is to enter items into the non-quilt categories. I received monetary prizes for everything but the quilt, which received an honorable mention and more criticism on my binding as well as criticism that my seams don’t match. I was annoyed at that since there was maybe 2 seams that didn’t match. I work very hard on my piecing so it looks good. I suppose they have to find something to criticize. The point about my binding was grudgingly well taken. I had no idea what they meant, but SIL showed me what she thought they meant and I took her advice to heart when I did the binding on the Peacock.

Apron - 2017
Apron – 2017

I need to make another apron, so, perhaps, I will wait and enter that in the fair in 2018. In fairness, my niece has been waiting for this apron, so it might be a little annoying for her to wait another year. Perhaps I’ll make two.

The fussy cutting on the apron was worth it. There was a comment that they really liked the way I used the fabric. They also liked it that I finished the seams.

California Shirt with ribbon
California Shirt with ribbon

They did not like that I did not finish the seams on the California shirt. I kind of knew that when I was working on it. I wanted to make French seams like I do on the pillowcases, but just didn’t do it.

Now I want to make another shirt with French or finished seams. It might be a good way to learn to use a serger.

I have lots of pictures of exhibits to show, so I’ll see about writing some more posts on the Fair in general.

 

EPP Progress

Half Hexie Project - June 2017
Half Hexie Project – June 2017

I have to admit I am losing steam on this project. I’d like to finish it and get it over with, but that means I have to work on it and I haven’t been.

I kind of screwed up on the side I had designated as the definite edge (left side). I need to make one side and edge and put the triangles on so I don’t put a star where it shouldn’t be.

I am feeling the urge to add some more stars so perhaps the time is coming soon.

Amy’s Color My Quilt

Yes, this appears to the be the week of Color My Quilt.

Amy's Color My Quilt piece in process
Amy’s Color My Quilt piece in process

I decided that I would start work on Amy’s Color My Quilt piece right away. I used it as leaders and enders while I sewed fabric pieces that didn’t require a 1/4″ foot. It was a good plan as I have made enough progress to hand it in today even if I do nothing else.

Don’t get the idea that I was doing a shoddy job. I was eyeballing a seam allowance rather than using the 1/4″ foot guide so I could make progress, but not being shoddy. If anything most of the seam allowances are larger than 1/4″.

Of course, I want to do more. I think it needs more blue. If I don’t do anymore, I’ll be happy and not embarrassed to give what I have to Amy.

Color My Quilt WOW

The BAMQG meeting was….sometime in the recent past. I have a lot going on and can’t quite remember.

Karen M. Color My Quilt
Karen M. Color My Quilt

Anyway, one fabulous thing that happened was that Karen M brought her finished ‘Color My Quilt’ piece. I thought it looked fabulous. She talked quite a bit about how she put it together and where she added strips and bits and pieces.

Keeping the colors in the same family with a bit of spark really made this quilt come together.

Karen was asked to do a workshop on teaching people to put their own pieces together. She may do a hands on tutorial at the next meeting.

MS Color My Quilt

Michelle's Color My Quilt
Michelle’s Color My Quilt

The Color My Quilt project reared it’s lovely head again and I got busy making something for Michelle. My goal was to use my scraps, though I was determined not to skimp and paw through the fabric closet if there were no appropriate scraps.

One of Michelle’s words was shiny and I found some fabric that had a lot of shine, so I grabbed that. I also found some perfect purples. I was embroiled very hard in another project and this little piece allowed me to play a bit.

More Knitting

Since I finished the last scarf, I have started another one. Since I took TFQ to some knitting stores a while ago, I have been wanting to try some Madeleine Tosh yarn.

Since I bought the bamboo yarn and started that scarf on a whim, I didn’t try the Madeleine Tosh yarn then. I couldn’t find any Madeleine Tosh yarn that appealed to me at Monarch Knitting, so I bought some other lovelies.

Madeleine Tosh Night Hawk Scarf
Madeleine Tosh Night Hawk Scarf

Finally I found some Madeleine Tosh yarn that I felt like knitting and started in. I don’t remember starting my first projects (about a zillion years ago), but my process now is to knit, rip out everything, knit some more, rip a bit, then get a handle on everything and knit like a crazy woman.

My first issue was that I didn’t like the curve (left sample in photo). I cast on pretty tightly which created a curve. I didn’t want to rely on the weight of the rest of the knitting to straighten it out. My SIL suggested casting on with larger needles. I did that and the next sample was great.

I made up the pattern, which was to purl 4-5 rows to keep the edges from curling, then to purl 5, knit 35 and purl 5, again to keep the edges from curling.

I really like this yarn and will definitely use it again. I like that it doesn’t stretch much, but is springy. I also like that it doesn’t have any acrylic in it.