BBC One: Imagine: The arts series edited and presented by Alan Yentob.
Imagine
Imagine a place
Where everything is calm and clear
Decisions between wrong and right are simple
And you`d never have a second thought
Imagine a place
Where everyone belongs with someone
A soul mate for a soul mate
Everyone is happy
Forget the heartache
Forget the pain
Breathe deeply in love
And never exhale
There would never be a moment of doubt
But this isn`t a fairy tale
This is real life
There is heartache and pain
And not everything is clear
People make mistakes
People make good choices
But in the end
There will always be something wrong
And maybe you`ll forget it
Maybe you won`t
There`s not always a soul mate
Not always someone to love
But it`s always nice
To imagine
Because you`re never too old
To create a block in your mind
And shut out reality
So, take a deep breath
And close your eyes
Imagine a place
Where their are happily ever afters
And dreams that can come true
Jessica Robert
Imagine is a newsletter for precollege students who want to take an active role in their own education.
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett, Washington
Site intended for students age 14 and up, and for anyone interested in learning about our universe.
“Imagine” is a song written and performed by English musician John Lennon. It was released as a single from his album Imagine in 1971.
Definition: (third-person singular simple presentimagines, present participleimagining, simple past and past participleimagined)
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.
What I am Reading: Ties that Bind by Marie Bostwick. I gave up on reading (with my eyes) the Age of Innocence. I loaned my Kindle to a family member who is at home for the next two months. I bought it on audio and will start listening soon. Creating Time: using creativity to reinvent the clock and reclaim your life by Marney Makridakis is still languishing. Audiobook playing on my iPod: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey; just finished Shine Shine Shine, by Lydia Netzer. Project on which I am Working: The Infinity blocks are put together, back is done and ready to go to the quilter. I am calmly making Swoon blocks and thinking about what comes next.
The Long Version
As you may have guessed from my recent habit of posting info about what I am reading and/or books to which I am listening, I love to read. I actually don’t care about the actual act of reading, but I love the stories. Audiobooks are perfect for me, because I get the story without having to sit or lay somewhere turning pages. I am not good at sitting around. I like getting sewing and reading done at the same time. 😉
Recently I saw a word cloud in the shape of the UK with the names of British, Irish, Scottish and Welsh literary personalities. This tickled my fancy. It is amazing to see how many great writers came from such a small geographic space. Something in the water, maybe? There is also a US version. Somehow it is not as impressive, but we Americans haven’t had as many years to write.
Housekeeping
I have the best readers (pat yourself on the back (or the head or the hand – whatever works). I have been getting so many great comments lately. I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment. You make my day!
Around and About the Web
I saw a notice of a new collection of photos at the Library of Congress recently. I always like to test these photo sets using the word ‘quilt’ or ‘quilting.’ I retrieved a few images. If the 2d link doesn’t work choose the first link and put USF33 and quilt in the search box. the thing that I noticed about these quilt photos is that none, but one, have piecing on them. They also don’t look like whole cloth quilts. I am wondering if they basted the quilt upside down? Let me know what you think or know. If you take out the phrase USF33 and leave in quilt, you will get photos of all the quilts in the photograph collection at LoC. Yes, another web time waster, but inspirational!
From ResearchBuzz: “The New Museum has a new Web site with what sounds like intriguing archives: “The Digital Archive has a searchable database of over 4,000 artists, curators and organizations, plus around 8,000 written and visual records. …
Additionally, the site’s new Art Spaces Directory helps artsy travelers gain an insider’s knowledge of alternative art spaces in spots from Cameroon to Vietnam.”
Perhaps I am not done with diamonds after all. Two large-ish quilts (FOTY 2010, Renewed Jelly Roll Race) made with diamonds should be enough, but the project Be*Mused is working on looks very tempting.
The fabulous Lisa Fulmer helped Andrea Currie win the episode of Craft Wars that aired on Tuesday July 17 on TLC. They have been interviewed about the experience on Fave Crafts. some of the Craft Wars episodes are available on iTunes for free. Check out the episode with Lisa and Andrea! Congrats, ladies. BTW, Lisa is currently adding select crafty clients to her Marketing A list. If you need help with Marketing, Lisa can be your best ally. contact her via the link above.
I love Be*mused’s work, so I have to show you this Trip around the World she made for her daughter. What I like about is the “if one fabric is good, 40 is better” sensibility. I also like it that she shows you what works and what she thinks doesn’t. I am also posting this for TFQ’s benefit, in case she didn’t see it.
The next bit is crankiness, pure and simple. I hope that you can all, gently, tell me that I am off base. Jackie from Tall Grass Prairie Studio talked about improvisational piecing in a recent blog post. She talks a lot in this post about wanting directions for improvisational piecing. She talks about the books she looked in. Not once does she mention Gwen Marston. Gwen Marston has step by step improvisational piecing (called Liberated Piecing, though) directions in a number of her books. Gwen Marston writes those instructions in such a way that they are the launching pad for the readers own work. Gwen Marston, however, does not have a robust web presence. Does that mean, in the modern quilt world, that she doesn’t exist? As a librarian, this makes me crazy. There was life before the Internet, you know. ERGH!!! Here is a brief take on the “everything is on the Internet” idea.
Penzu.com is an online diary or journal. I am an inveterate journal keeper. I have kept some kind of journal since I can remember. Penzu.com might work for those of you who don’t want to keep a paper journal. I like the idea of being able to add photos from Flickr. $20/year is very tempting for the pro account. I wonder if I would have the time. I do find that actually writing with my hand works well for me. I really don’t need more computer work either. Sigh. The video showing their concept is cute and worth 2 minutes of your time. More details are available on their products page.
Alex Anderson has an exhibit at the new (??) Accuquilt Gallery. Read the press release.
Shopping
Are you thinking about Christmas yet? Get going! August 1st marks the slow slide until Christmas and other gift giving holidays. You probably want or need to make some small gifts. Here is a new product from Hawthorne Threads that will make your life easier. In their latest newsletter, they write “NEW SCRAP PACKS! Here’s a great way to have a beautiful sampling of the highly coveted Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt at a great price! We’ve assembled our remnants into scrap packs like these seen above. For just $9.99 you’ll receive 2 yards worth of fabric by weight, ranging in size from just under 1/2 yd to 1/8 yd cuts. These remnant packs would be great for sunglasses cases, clutches, pillows, quilts, and more. If you’re hard pressed finding time to sew, these can provide some great material for a quickie project. These are limited release so once they’re gone, they’re gone!”
BlockBase from EQ is BACK!!! If you don’t have it, run out and get it. This is one of the best quiltmaking investments you will make EVER. Over 4300 block patterns that you can adjust and resize. BlockBase is a stand-alone program so you don’t need EQ to use it. This is not an update, so if you have BlockBase, you don’t need to buy it again.
Donations/Charity
Last Four
As you know, I have been on a donation quilt bender. Not a bad bender to be on, if you have to go on a bender. 😉
I love that 16 patch block to which the Charity Girls introduced me. I saw a version on Camille Roskelley’s blog that shows how some different fabrics would look. I didn’t buy any of the Summersville fabric, but this quilt top is a great example how that block (hers looks a little larger-more squares, I think) and can be so versatile.
I am calmly making these blocks one after another. I refuse to think about whether they will be a quilt or whether they will turn into anything at all. Of course, they will be something. What? I don’t know. Some kind of quilt, I am sure, but for now, I am just making blocks.
You all liked this blue, so I made another block using it. The pink is the block is a little different from the pink I selected and used in Swoon #7. I didn’t have enough of the smaller dot (that I could find), so this one is a suitable stand in.
I am pleased with the way the piecing came out in this block. If you look at the blue wings on the star, you will see how the vine looks like it continues from the middle out to the wings, especially on the left. I wish I could say I pieced it that way, but it was the luck of the draw.
Swoon #12
Swoon #12 (middle photo, right) uses a yellow flower print, which is ok, but not great. It has all the right colors, but there is something about it that is just a little off for me. In this block, the orange of that flower print makes some of the points of the star drop out. I didn’t notice until I was done with the block. I think there was some yellow still showing before final sewing, but when I sewed those parts together, the yellow was taken up by the seam allowance. I thought about unsewing it and making the wings over, but I couldn’t be bothered. Perhaps it will make viewers come closer to the quilt to see what I was doing? For all of these little things that are not quite right, I think about antique quilts and how there is a often a fabric that doesn’t go or a botched piecing job. These quilts are charming, so I will think of these little things as adding charm to my quilt. 😉
And Then There Were Twelve
Twelve Swoon
It is so interesting for me to look at all of these blocks together. Different parts of them stick out, which is all about the fabric, of course.
Some of them look like wreaths and some of them highlight the stars.
Making these blocks is turning into more of an intellectual exercise than I thought it would. Very fun.
This photo is old news for you, but I thought it should be shown, so I could tell you that I have finished the back and you would know that the two of them go together.
I still have not decided what to do about the border. It is possible that I will leave the grey border and just bind it with the striped fabric that every liked best. I have time to decide; it is not at the quitlter yet.
Some time ago (years, perhaps), I bought some Harry Potter fabric. I bought it make something for the Young Man when he was in the throes of his Harry Potter mania, but then never made it. Renditions of beloved characters are never as imagined, though the Young Man didn’t seem to care. As this quilt will go to one of the nephews, I thought it would be a good opportunity to finally use it. He is just about to start reading the books, so I hope he will like the back. I spent Sunday (a week ago) making the back.
Infinity Quilt back
While I made the back, I tried to be calm about it. I didn’t want to make another back, but I also did not want to be angry about making the back. Angry when I am sewing? Odd, I know, but as I mentioned, performing the same parts of the quiltmaking process over and over gets tedious after awhile. I could have put this quilt away again and waited to do the back, but, instead, I decided to just making it and move forward. I really do see benefit in making up backs and bindings as soon as I am done with the top. It makes the finishing process so much easier.
Also, the pieces were large, so I didn’t have to fiddle too much. I was able to sew quite a lot of donation squares together in between sewing the back. That was gratifying.
I like this one and I was able to do a little adjusting of the colors. I really like the blue print in this piece. Again, it is from the Sophie line by Moda.
I didn’t, however, want to have part of the block drop out because the pink flowers would blend with the dots. What I did was, where possible, I would put the pink flowers in the part of the block that would get cut off. For example, there are many places where I place a square over a corner, sew on the diagonal and then cut off the remaining triangle. I made a big effort to place the flower part of the blue fabric in the location that would be cut off. I think that the effect is of more blue in this block than pink. The larger dots really give these blocks a different look.
Nine Swoon
I think the blocks are starting to look like a group. There are some fabrics I need to use a second or third time, but I am getting to the point where I might want to stop making blocks.
This is the cat bed that I made from the kit I got at the last BAMQG meeting. I didn’t think that I would enjoy it, but it went very quickly and in no time I had the thing done.
I had some schnibbles so I put as many as I could inside to stuff it. Amanda will have to stuff the rest of it with all the schnibbles she has collected.
The polar fleece only caused me a bit of pain and suffering, but not much. I am quite pleased with how it came out.
I have to admit that I enjoyed making this. I find satisfaction in making the donation quilts and also in making this cat bed. If you want to make one, Amanda has kindly allowed me to post the revised, simpler Cat Bed Pattern .
It took me awhile to get back to the Swoon blocks. I keep the latest one on the design to remind me to do it. It has been awhile since I made the last one. I think, after reading Landscape Lady’s comment from last week, I am in transition. I am trying to be in transition.
I spent last Saturday making blocks. It is kind of meditative work, but also clean up work in a way. I made some blocks for the A-B-C Challenge. I also made the Swoon block.
It is funny when I make Swoon blocks. I make one and then I want to make another, but I put it off, because there is so much cutting. Then I have to learn to make the block all over again. I made some notes when I made the last one and it was easier this time. I hope not to put it off so long until I make the next one.
8 Swoon Blocks
Since I had cleared the design wall, I put all the blocks up and took another picture of them all.
One thing is that I think I will add sashing. Yay! I get to go through the drama of picking sashing fabric all over again. Perhaps I should take my time making more blocks? 😉
I think the look is pretty good. I will make more and then see how I want to proceed.
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.
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!
Border detail
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.
Nine Patch Reimagined
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
I am really glad my SIL sent me these photos so I could be reminded of the other ways to layout blocks.
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.
Grey circles sashing
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.
Large dot sashing
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.
Small dot sashing
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.
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.
Blue & Yellow Stripes
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.
Blue & Green Stripes
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.
