Artquiltmaker Blog – Page 276 – Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity

Following-up on Christmas

I received these two gifts related to quiltmaking at Christmas. They are from my mom. She couldn’t resist the fabric (I have pink flamingos in my front flower bed) and the book was on my list.

I am thinking that I will make some pillowcases out of the flamingo fabric.

I am really looking forward to delving into the book and seeing if I have anything in common with the women interviewed.

Thanks, Mom!

Gift Post: Pincushion

I really like making these pincushions. Since they are quick and provide for a nice level of creativity, I probably won’t stop until I have nobody else to whom I can gift one.

They are quick to make, but not boring to make.

I put this one in a box of Christmas gifts for my friend, Julie.

I chose a couple of fabrics with yellow as an alternate to the purple. I think it works for the look.

The pattern is from Fig Tree & Co. It is called Petite Gateau. I have the print version (available at PIQF), but there is a downloadable version available, so you can get it RIGHT NOW! 😉

I am thinking about the beach, water and Hawaii a lot lately. Not sure why, because although I live close to the beach, the water is about 45 degrees on a good day and the air temperature is between 40-50 degrees, none of which is conducive to swimming in the ocean.

I thought a creative prompt would be a good way to get thoughts of warm sand, warm salty water, etc off my mind, but many of the water type prompts have already been used: pour, drink and ocean. I guess I think about water a lot.

video game by Artificial Mind and Movement

In the Wet by Nevil Shute

Wet Seal clothing

not dry

wet paint

Definition: wet (wt) adj. wet·ter, wet·test

1. Covered or soaked with a liquid, such as water.

2. Not yet dry or firm: wet paint.

3. Stored or preserved in liquid.

4. Used or prepared with water or other liquids.

a. Rainy, humid, or foggy: wet weather.

b. Characterized by frequent or heavy precipitation: a wet climate.

6. Informal Allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages: a wet county.

7. Characterized by the use or presence of water or liquid reagents: wet chemistry.

1. Something that wets; moisture.

2. Rainy or snowy weather: go out into the wet.

3. Informal One who supports the legality of the production and sale of alcoholic beverages.

v. wet or wet·ted, wet·ting, wets

v.tr.

1. To make wet; dampen: wet a sponge.

2. To make (a bed or one’s clothes) wet by urinating.

v.intr.

1. To become wet.

2. To urinate.

all wet

wet behind the ears

wet my whistle

Take 5 minutes to do any kind of artistic response: poem, doodle, quilt, pastel, pencil. ANYTHING counts. No rules; just do it!

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.

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.

FOTY 2012 Early January

I had a good amount of time off over the holidays. I was able to spend some time pressing fabric and cutting pieces for this project. It is a meditative process and was a good way to transition from the difficult last quarter at work to vacation.

The end is drawing near, so I need to speed up the process or work with what I have.

One thing I like about this is that looking at the fabric patches and thinking about the projects on which I am working as well as the new fabrics.

I haven’t taken any kind of inventory of pieces that I have. If I do I can fix any problems, if I don’t it will be a design challenge.

Pink Sawtooth Stars

I needed a venue for the large Joel Dewberry prints. I decided that I would use the All Washed Up pattern called Sparkling Cider to which I was introduced at the November BAMQG meeting. I really struck by the pattern, because of the wonderful way the pattern showcased large print fabrics. Mallory kindly loaned me the pattern, though the pattern is very straightforward and I had already designed a version in EQ7.

The blocks required for this quilt are 4 large Sawtooth Star blocks with no borders and 16 8″ Sawtooth Star blocks that have multiple borders that bring the 8″ blocks up to 16″. I have made the large Sawtooth Star blocks and about half of the smaller blocks.

I am using the Joel Dewberry Notting Hill prints and very much enjoying them. I am tempted to purchase more of them, but perhaps these are enough?

I am including some other large prints in addition to the Notting Hill prints. The Notting Hill prints have some orange in them, so I have added some orange as well.

I wanted to make this as a quick and fun quilt top. I have so many fun pink fabrics that I thought combining the Notting Hill prints with them would be a great opportunity to use a variety. I didn’t want this to be a Joel Dewberry quilt, and, though, I think the Notting Hill prints are prominent, I don’t think the blocks, so far, scream Joel Dewberry.

I wanted to get this top finished before I went back to work, but it wasn’t to be. I have made good progress, and will finish it soon.

Patchwork Wheels

Here are some more Patchwork Wheel blocks. I am a bit stuck on the last few, because I misplaced a stack of fabrics. Sigh. I hope to have found it and be back on track by the time you read this.

I am having fun with Ribbet. Sometimes I don’t want to deal with the formatting of multiple photos and Ribbet is a good alternative. I can do some quick collages, basic editing and pull from Flickr. It is free, you don’t have to register (though you get more, if you do) and it is relatively quick.

Finished: The Garden

I did most of the work on The Garden in 2012. I nearly finished this before the New Year turned, but I didn’t have enough time.

As a result, this is my second finish of 2013. I am very pleased.

More Swoon

I pretended for a long time that I was just playing around with blocks, but after posting Swoon Block #13, I had to admit that this was a project.

I decided that I would finish up the last few blocks, put them together, make a back and see what would come next.

I am pretty pleased with the way the blocks have come out. I don’t know if this will be the permanent arrangement. I am considering and will have to see.

I am hard on the heels of bordering this quilt top. I had hoped to have the border, the back as well as the back for the Spiderweb done by the time I go back to work tomorrow, but I can see that isn’t going to happen. Life interferes. I have to eat, play chauffeur, spend time with DH. I am fortunate that life interferes. It is work I could really do without, as long as they would pay me not to show up. 😉

The first thing I did was put a framing border on the top. The variety of colors needed to be contained and the pinky orange did a good job.

Next on the agenda, which I know is going to cause me problems is the larger outside border. I am taking elements from the Swoon blocks (the corner piece, the house shape, or as Sarah calls it: the Turkey Butt) and making them to insert in the corners and middle of the borders. I am pretty sure I don’t have enough of the border fabric, so we will see how that works out.

Lack of planning with rending of garments or design challenge?

You can read about preventing sickly sweetness in the last post about this project.

Swoon #15 & 16

I sewed the last two blocks. They look great, I think. I did have some challenges picking the fabrics for the last two blocks.

I had picked out a certain crop of fabrics for these blocks. I didn’t want to add in any new ones that I didn’t have to add, because they wouldn’t be in the rest of the quilt.

If you zoom in you might see that I pieced some of the fabrics to make sure I had enough. That odd piecing doesn’t really show even in person, so I am happy.

Block #16 was a bit of a challenge, because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to use more of the blue Sophia fabric that kind of started me on this journey.I finally decided that I liked it enough to use it. I also decided that it wouldn’t scream out of the quilt that I had used too much of it. The blues are relatively strong in this piece, but I don’t think they overwhelm it. I think the blues keep it from being too sickly sweet with pink.

Now I am done with these blocks. I have decided that 16 is enough.

The last post was about the other Swoon block I made recently.

Swoon #14

I am on a roll. I want to try more color combinations. I think I get more wild each time. I also have a certain number of fabrics I designated for use and don’t want to expand very much before I finish.

Yes, I am thinking about finishing, but how can I finish when a project isn’t really a project?

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