Category: 2016

Donation Top

My Wed Sewing Room
My Wed Sewing Room

I didn’t mean to have two donation posts in a row, but it was more about poor blog post planning than not knowing I was going to sew.

Gerre and I spent the day together chatting and making another donation top. I had cut the backgrounds for a T quilt a few months ago, but didn’t finish the foreground cutting. I brought what I had and my bin of orange fabrics since sewing together is way more fun than sewing alone.

It was great. Gerre was kind enough to listen to a couple of sad tales of woe. After that was over, I started in on cutting foregrounds while Gerre set up to sew. Pretty soon she was sewing as I handed her packaged sets of ready-to-sew patches. We both pressed. It took us about 4 hours to make the top back and binding, but we had lunch in between and I wasn’t caught in terrible traffic on my way home. All in all it was a pretty leisurely schedule. Satisfying to finish a top and back as well.

These aren’t great photos, but you get the idea. The top is about 45″x45″. The binding will be random bits of leftover fabrics.

It was a great way to spend the day and I really needed a day of sewing as it was a stressful week. Also, we were able to do something good for someone else.

Creative Prompt #355: Dragonfly

After this one, only 10 more prompts!!!

Project Dragonfly, at Miami University, promotes inquiry-driven reform, reaching millions of people worldwide through learning media, exhibits, and education programs.

From Luke Burns Enterprises: Dragonfly is a very small and compact browser. It uses very little disk space, but is capable of visiting any Web site on the Internet.

DRAGONFLY, a metabolic farm for urban agriculture 2009

The Dragonfly tube set was designed to build the lightest possible bicycle frames without sacrificing stiffness, durability and ride quality.

Dragonfly Symbol Native American Indians had a highly complex culture, especially those who lived on the Great Plains.

Definition: “A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, suborder Anisoptera (from Greek … anisos “uneven” + … pteros, “wings”, because the hindwing is broader than the forewing). Adult dragonflies are characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches and an elongated body. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the related group, damselflies (Zygoptera), which are similar in structure, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold the wings folded at rest, along or above the abdomen. Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly eye has nearly 24,000 ommatidia.

Fossils of very large dragonfly ancestors in the Protodonata are found from 325 million years ago (Mya) in Upper Carboniferous rocks; these had wingspans up to about 750 mm (30 in). About 3000 species of Anisoptera are in the world today. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions.

Dragonflies are predators, both in their aquatic larval stage, when they are known as nymphs or naiads, and as adults. Several years of their lives are spent as nymphs living in fresh water; the adults may be on the wing for just a few days or weeks. They are fast, agile fliers, sometimes migrating across oceans, and are often found near water. They have a uniquely complex mode of reproduction involving indirect insemination, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition. During mating, the male grasps the female at the back of the head or on the prothorax, and the female curls her abdomen under her body to pick up sperm from the male’s secondary genitalia at the front of his abdomen, forming the “heart” or “wheel” posture.

Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Dragonflies are represented in human culture on artifacts such as pottery, rock paintings, and Art Nouveau jewellery. They are used in traditional medicine in Japan and China, and caught for food in Indonesia. They are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness in Japan, but seen as sinister in European folklore. Their bright colours and agile flight are admired in the poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and the prose of H. E. Bates.” (Wikipedia)

The Dragonfly Foundation

Opera Dragonfly — our fully-featured suite of developer tools, designed to make your job easier.

The Dragonfly generates a silky extended top-end, contoured midrange and a bump at the upper end of the lower frequencies that thickens thin signal sources by Blue Microphones

 

Symbolism of dragonflies

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 and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP

Places

  • Dragonfly Creek, a stream in the Presidio of San Francisco, California, U.S. (google)

People

Fictional

Transportation

Aircraft

Spacecraft

  • DragonFly (spacecraft), an asteroid material-sampling spacecraft proposed by Deep Space Industries
  • DragonFly (rocket) – a prototype reusable launch vehicle to test propulsive landings of the SpaceX Dragon space capsule, in a low-altitude atmospheric flight test program

Fictional

  • Dragonfly (G.I. Joe), a fictional make of helicopter in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline

Computing

Film and television

Literature

Music

Albums

Songs

Other uses

Doing Good Donation Blocks

Donation Blocks
Donation Blocks

As I said yesterday, I spent Sunday making the Peacock blocks. In between I made donation blocks. I had taken 3 kits from the BAMQG meeting on Saturday so I made those up first. Those blocks are the 2 on the right and the one on the top. After I was done with those, I made up a few more from my own fabric. I sewed them as leaders and enders in between the parts of the Peacock hexagons. I used them to keep track of the various parts of the blocks. They are all the same colors, so it is easy to mix of pieces. And the bonus was all the donations blocks I finished as well.

I do intend to make more donation blocks.

Peacock Blocks

The change to Daylight Saving Time is a nightmare. What a dumb idea or an idea whose time has passed. I changed the clock by my bed the night before so when I woke up, I saw that it was already later than usual. For some reason I felt awful. It might have been the dread of knowing that I had lost an hour. I got up and got some caffeine and went up to my workroom.

I needed to just sew, so I looked at the projects I had that were at the rote sewing stage. After a very short deliberation, I pulled out the Peacock blocks and started sewing.

Peacock Blocks
Peacock Blocks

I don’t remember how many sets I cut up at the Retreat, but the prep I did there allowed me to just sew pieces and parts together. I now have about 40 blocks. When I say blocks, I mean two halves of blocks because I can’t sew the pieces of the blocks together until I lay out the entire quilt. Once I lay it out, I will sew it together in rows.

It was great to just sew. I only had to sew straight seams. I didn’t have to make a lot of decisions beyond how to press the seams and the stack of blocks got bigger and bigger.

I wanted to do more, but don’t I always? That was the kind of sewing that I needed. I finally feel like I am making progress.

Cat Bed Redux

I had a pretty good weekend sewing. It started with my return from the BAMQG meeting (post on that later). I was so fired up to sew. This was also pent up energy from not sewing for a few days. As soon as I arrived home and dumped my stuff, I sat down at the sewing machine and sewed the cat bed I got from Amanda at the meeting.

Seashell cat bed
Seashell cat bed

I like the fleece fabric Amanda picked out. It is really fun. And cheerful (though not in a pink kind of cheerful way). I like those seahorses.

I needed to make another cat bed, because my bag of schnibbles was starting to scare me. I should have taken two, but I wasn’t thinking.

I wonder if seahorses will be the next big thing. I saw a paper pieced project of a seahorse on Instagram recently.

March 2016: 26 Projects

March?? March already? What happened to January and February? The last time I posted on this topic was back in December and that was a great post, because I had accomplished so much. So far this year, there is a lot of hunting and gathering going on, but not many completions. It is all about process, though, right?

Finished 2016 Quilt Projects

none so far

Finished 2016 non-Quilt Projects

In Process
The  ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively (or pretending) working. A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP.

  • Carpenter’s Wheel blocks – I finished #8 and started to sew #9
  • English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – slowly but surely wins the race
  • Food Quilt #3 – pieces are cut. I need to start sewing
  • Lobster – have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
  • Octagon 9 Patch: ready to put together. Not sure what I am waiting for
  • Peacock Quilt – need to sew pieces and parts
  • Pies and Points from Victoria Findlay Wolfe class.
  • Stepping Stones #2 – I haven’t worked on this, but I still have one block on the wall for inspiration. I could work on it at any time.

Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

  1. Aqua-Red Sampler – I still have to work on the partial seaming tutorial.
  2. The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, it is in a prominent location so I have easy access. I was thinking about how this was veering in the direction of being one of my ‘masterpieces,’ but now that it has languished for so long it just looks old and dated. :(
  3. Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. I still haven’t worked on this project either, but I do think about it.
  4. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. My career counselor breathed new life into this project for me. She asked a simple question and the end result was inspiration for this piece, but I kind of lost steam again after printing images on paper to try out different designs. Lately, I have been feeling like I need to finish this piece as it should be a good reminder to keep in my office.
  5. Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors. Still a possibility for abandonment. Just can’t seem to pull the trigger.
  6. City Sampler/ Tale of Two Cities blocks
  7. Serendipity Lady Quilt

Ready for Quilting
Wow! Everything on this list is new, as in it was never on the original 26 Projects list.

  1. 2 Thanksgiving tablerunners
  2. Flowerburst

In Quilting Process

  • Christmas Tablerunner – nearly done

Binding

  • I have to make the binding for one Thanksgiving tablerunner and then bind it.

Hunting and Gathering

  • Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5″x 4.5″ blue rectangles
  • Blue Lemonade: cutting blue, green, purple 2″ squares
  • Food Quilt #3: cutting food prints
  • Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5″x 4.5″ pink rectangles
  • Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
  • Stepping Stones #3 using the Macaron pre-cuts from Hoffman. I have all the fabric in pre-cuts and am just waiting for space in my schedule.
  • Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background. The problem is that I mislaid the rotary template. Sigh. I may be able to cut the greys on a Sizzix.

What’s on your list?

Creative Prompt #354: Dessert

No more animals for the moment.

This prompt is related to Prompt #184. They are similar, but a little different.

dessert recipes

Definition: “Dessert (/d??z??rt/) is a course that concludes a main meal. The course usually consists of sweet foods and beverages, such as dessert wine or liqueurs, but may include coffee, cheeses, nuts, or other savory items. In some parts of the world, such as much of central and western Africa, there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.

The term “dessert” can apply to many foods, such as cakes, tarts, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings, custards, and sweet soups. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its naturally occurring sweetness. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts.” (Wikipedia)

cake

“Dessert” is a song by American singer and producer Dawin. It was released in the United States on March 17, 2015.

cookies

Sound Dessert is a music blog featuring music reviews, music interviews, indie rock playlists and more.

ice cream

Dessert Wars Miami is the premiere dessert competition in South Florida. With over 20 participants, you have a lot of decisions to make and a wide array of desserts

cheesecake

Dessert delivery from GrubHub (Brilliant!)

sweet soups

dessert wines

jellied desserts

dessert glasses

Dessert Lab

free listening on SoundCloud

This is Spot, a dessert bar like no other, home to a whole new world of delicious flavors and tastes. At Spot, Dessert Bar, traditional confections are re-imagined

Fast food desserts

Dessert Fox elegantly provides custom cake creations in the Rocklin/Roseville area.

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 and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP

Carpenter’s Wheel #8

Carpenter's Wheel #8
Carpenter’s Wheel #8

I finally finished another Carpenter’s Wheel block. As I have said there is a lot going on and focus is difficult. Looking back, I found that I posted #7 on March 1 even though March 1 seems like a long time ago from where I am sitting now.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out. Since I have so many blocks, I do think a quilt is in the offing. I have been thinking of layouts and was thinking of something asymmetrical after attending QuiltCon.

8 Carpenter's Wheels
8 Carpenter’s Wheels

However, I put them up on my design wall and really like them jammed together. There is something about them together that looks interesting.

March 2016 To Do List

2016 To Do List

  • Quilt Christmas table runner – I thought about calling it done, because I was finished except for the very outer border. I was very much inclined to call it done, but thought the outer border would be flapping around while I tried to bind it, so I started to do a little bit of quilting to hold it down. I have about two more rows left.
  • Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed-I washed a few loads in the past month and actually spent a couple of hours ironing then cutting. Further progress.
  • Cut out 3 notepad covers for gifts
  • Finish cutting out Day in the Park backpack variation
  • Sew 3rd Petrillo Bag
  • Sew Bon Appetit apron
  • Cut out Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew purple pincushion
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Quilt Thanksgiving table mat
  • Bind Thanksgiving tablerunner #1 – I have pulled a couple of fabrics for binding, but I am not sure which to use. Admittedly, I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. I should do, though since that will add to my finish list.
  • Pull fabrics for QuiltCon class
  • **Make binding for Flowerburst

Finished since December 2015 post

  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Cut out Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote
  • Cut out Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Finish cutting out 3rd Petrillo bag
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Cut out Thanksgiving table mat
  • ATCs for CQFA December meeting
  • Finish sewing Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote -this was a gift I intended to give during Holiday 2013- sigh. Missed 2014 Holiday deadline as well. I made it for birthday 2016 and it was a successful gift.
  • Sew Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Cut out Purple Sew Together Bag
  • Sew Purple Sew Together Bag

FOTY 2015 (early March)

Fabric of the Year 2015 (early March)
Fabric of the Year 2015 (early March)

I think I have said that I am nearing the end of cutting for FOTY 2015. Here is another batch and I really am about to start laying out the piece.

I just have so many ideas in my head that I can’t seem to corral them in order to make any progress on much of anything.

EBHQ Show Press Release

For Immediate Release:

Media Contact: Edith Beard Brady

Voices in Cloth 2016, Extraordinary Quilts by the Bay

Dates: Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, 2016
Hours: Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Sunday: 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Admission: Two-day advance purchase tickets are $10 until February 29, 2016; tickets purchased at the door are $15 and children 12 and under are FREE.

Location: The Craneway Pavilion, 1414 Harbour Way South, in the Marina District of Richmond, California. With its huge windows, panoramic San Francisco Bay views and natural light, The Craneway Pavilion makes a spectacular venue for the vibrant quilts and fiber art that will be displayed at Voices in Cloth.

Website: http://www.ebhq.org/quilt-shows/vic2016

East Bay Heritage Quilters present Voices in Cloth 2016, Extraordinary Quilts by the Bay. Highlights of the two-day show include an exhibit of more than 200 new quilts and wearable art made by guild members; quilts by kids; a stellar lineup of 37 vendors, offering textile and eclectic wares; a Guild Marketplace of Fine Fiber Art; free demonstrations of quilt-making techniques including new ruler-free cutting techniques by Sherri Lynn Wood; bed turnings by the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles showcasing quilts from the museum’s permanent collection; engaging activities for children and introducing new children’s titles from C&T Publishing; and great door prizes.

Voices in Cloth 2016 will as also feature two special exhibits:

“Off the Wall: Maverick Quilts from the Julie Silber** Collection”

Well- known and highly respected quilt authority, Julie Silber curates this special exhibit of 20 of her favorite quirky antique quilts. The pieces all have in common an unusual twist on the ordinary, a certain verve, and a gritty individuality rarely found in more studied and self-conscious quilts. These playful pieces demonstrate that all over America original works of art may be as close as the blankets under which we sleep. Julie Silber will lead a personal tour through the exhibit each day at 1 p.m.

 

**Julie Silber is best known locally as curator of the world-renowned Esprit Quilt Collection , which was on display at the Esprit Company headquarters in San Francisco in the 1980s. She is the owner of Julie Silber Quilts where she offers a wide range of antique and vintage quilts made between 1800 and 1950. She wrote Hearts and Hands: The Influence of Women & Quilts on American Society, and Amish: the Art of the Quilt.

 

“Tell Me a Story” A Cloth Doll Challenge

For the first time, Voices In Cloth presents a special exhibit of 36 cloth doll sculptures and their stories. The Challenge is curated by Sondra Von Burg, a local doll artist, teacher and lecturer on the Art of Cloth Doll Making. She states “Dolls traditionally were made to represent the human form in miniature. Contemporary dolls are moving closer to sculpture, but often continue to represent humans beyond just the form and all dolls have a story to tell.” Sondra will be demonstrating “Cloth Doll Finger Turning” during the show and has a vendor booth exhibiting her work.

East Bay Heritage Quilters is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization based in Albany, California. The guild focuses on preserving and continuing the traditions, culture, and history of quilting and textile arts. A significant contribution EBHQ makes to our community is the Deanna Davis Community Quilt Project, through which our members and outside volunteers make and distribute over a 1,000 quilts a year. Recent recipients include First Place for Youth (a home for aged-out foster teens), and survivors of the Lake County fires. In 2016, EBHQ will make monthly deliveries to a Neonatal Intensive Care facility.

There are two Opportunity Quilts that will be featured at the show. Winning tickets in the raffle will be drawn on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Photos and descriptions of Bay Windows and String Theory can also be found at http://www.ebhq.org/quilt-shows/vic2016/vic2016quilts.

Bay Windows

42 inches by 46 inches

Raffle Quilt designed by Nancy S. Brown

Appliqued by Nancy S. Brown, Meg Cupman, Cynthia Demidovich Winn, Linda Gavin, Sue Gragg, Linda Gruber, Andrea Hong, Jenny Kolbusz, Liisa Lyon, Lily Pang, Laurel Putnam, Melissa Quilter, Valerie Sopher, Katie Spangler, Carolyn Weil.

Quilted by Laura Lee Fritz.

Photography by C&T Publishing

 

 

String Theory

80 inches by 84 inches

Raffle Quilt by Barbara Ramsey

Quilted by New Pieces in honor of Deanna Davis

Photography by C&T Publishing
East Bay Heritage Quilters, P.O. Box 6223, Albany, CA 94706

Random QuiltCon

I can’t seem to stop writing about QuiltCon. Different aspects of the event are in my mind often.

The thing about this conference was that it was more than a quilt show. It was like a conference I have attended for my professional organization. People knew each other; there were opportunities for learning aside from just quilt classes. Everyone was very focused on a shared set of …values or perceived values. [Actually, I am not sure if that is the right term, but it sort of gets at what I am trying to say.]  It was an event with aspects of a quilt show. I wonder if the AQS shows are the same way?

I know I have said before that there was an excited buzz in and around the whole conference. I really liked being in a place where everyone was excited about quiltmaking.

Yes, there were people walking around who looked miserable. Yes, there were people there who were so absorbed by their phones and tablets that they couldn’t talk with anyone. Yes, there were people who only wanted the free stuff. Beyond all that were those who were taking advantage of opportunities. I tried to be one of those people.

Northcott Solids Booth
Northcott Solids Booth

I was thrilled to see all the different solids in one place. I didn’t even know Northcott had solids until this show. It was wonderful to see vendors, albeit a small group, with the freshest, newest fabrics rather than the old junk that vendors feel ok with bringing to PIQF. I was thrilled to meet people I follow on Instagram. It was great to see manufacturers there! I was excited to talk with them, see what they brought and, on occasion, play their games. It was great that a few of the vendors brought donation quilt activities with them. It provided a good opportunity to sit and rest our feet while doing some good.

The quilt above was the Viewer’s Choice, Mr. Swirl E. Bones by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. I voted for another quilt, but there was a lot that I liked about this quilt. It is a very interesting use of a panel. I also liked the kaleidoscopic effect she created by putting the different parts of the panels together. I also like the diamonds and the way the piece looks like a flower from far away (upper right photo). You also can’t tell that it is a skeleton panel with just one glance.

Windham gave away pamphlets showcasing their newest fabric designers. The snippets were about half a small page (8.5″x11″ folded in half) and had a few of the forthcoming prints with a headshot of the designer. It was nice to be able to look at a few pieces of fabric that won’t be out for months.

Quilter’s Dream had a very boring looking booth. It looked like they had just curtains up and stack of samples. Samples are always nice. Somehow I ended up in the booth and found out that those boring looking curtains were batting samples! They had unrolled some batting and had hung it up so potential buyers could feel it. What a great idea!!! I liked the thinness of that batting and also the different content they had: silk, bamboo, polyester made from soda bottles and many more. I want to get some to try in a quilt.

I dropped my card off a Schiffer Publishing. I have been wanting to send publishers letters telling them that I write book reviews and post them here. As you may remember, I donate 90% of the books I receive to my local library. My library is part of consortium, so those books are available to people in other local libraries as well. I haven’t heard anything, but my fingers are crossed. Schiffer does a lot of interesting books.

I loved working with the Sizzix in Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s class. I have been looking through their catalog of designs over and over thinking of what I can make.