Creative Prompt #128: Candy

Kids in a candy store

San Francisco’s Daily Candy

Pile of fabric candy: http://instagr.am/p/R9alC/

bulk candy

Definition: Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added. Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history in popular culture.

The Middle English word “candy” began to be used in the late 13th century, coming into English from the Old French çucre candi, derived in turn from Persian Qand (=???) and Qandi (=????), “cane sugar”.[1] In North America, candy is a broad category that includes candy bars, chocolates, licorice, sour candies, salty candies, tart candies, hard candies, taffies, gumdrops, marshmallows, and more.[citation needed] Vegetables, fruit, or nuts which have been glazed and coated with sugar are said to be candied. (Wikipedia)

mind candy

John Candy

pinata

candy counter

candy jar

candied orange peel (see Recchiuti)

cotton candy

See’s Candy

Candy Glendenning

trick or treat

Candies (shoes)

Candyland

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

eye candy

confectionary

candied fruit

Old fashioned & Retro Candy

Sweets

taffy

loollipop

candy bar

Candy corn (blech!, but I had to put it in, because my SIL loves it.)

Recchiuti

candy apple

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, also, 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 and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

Various & Sundry #20

Media
Swatch and Stitch is a blog and the posts recently have been very colorful.

Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, formerly of FunQuilts and now of Modern Quilt Studio, have a new magazine. It is called Modern Quilts Illustrated and you can see a preview on Craft Nectar from October 25, 2011. Each issue will be $14 and a subscription for 3 issues will be $30. Call (708) 445-1817 to get an issue or a subscription. (No affiliation).

I get the Fig Tree Quilts pamphlet periodically. It is called Fresh Vintage. When I receive the newsletter/pamphlet, I usually think I should cancel, because it is very thin and I usually just skim it and put it down to read more thoroughly later. This time, I actually did read it more thoroughly and realized that there is always a very useful tidbit or review in it. This time there was a blurb about using a fabric line. Joanna gave a rule that makes a lot of sense: use 80% of the fabric line and 20% of other fabric in your quilt. Isn’t that great? Doesn’t it make sense? I think it is a great way to make the quilt in which you have used one line of fabric, your own.
Deirdre’s QR Quilt is finished! More info at http://www.deirdreabbotts.com/2011/10/21/qr-code-quilt/ If you can get the code to work on a Blackberry, contact her.

I got on the phone with Mark Lipinski yesterday and talked to him about some crocheted flowers I saw on the blog/website of one of his guests, Margaret Hubert. They struck me, because one of my great grandmothers (my grandmother’s father’s 4th wife, I think) made me a red had that snapped under the chin covered in these flowers in multi-colored yarns. My head looked like a garden. She didn’t like the thank you note I sent her so she never made me anything again. If I can find the hat, I’ll post a photo. It is so funny that those flowers are back!

Speaking of Mark, did you see the video he and Jodi Davis did?

Technology
Many of you have seen or created or used QR Codes. They are the black and white squares that are popping up all over marketing materials. My friend, Deirdre, also the web/tech guru of this blog, has made a QR Code quilt. It is wonderful – soft on the inside and techy on the outside. You will need a QR Code reader on your smartphone to read the code and be taken to the website to which the quilt leads. Awesome!

Web in General
Why are you here?
Why are you reading this blog? Do you have certain expectations of what you will read? Am I meeting your expectations?

Why am I asking you this? (So many questions!)

There was a post on Camille Roskelly’s blog recently. She highlighted a comment from someone who was irritated that Camille was posting pictures of her kids. The commenter insisted that Simplify was a business blog and that Camille should stop posting about her kids.

Camille seems to get a large number of mean comments. Perhaps it is because she gets so many comments?. Perhaps it is a numbers game? I like her blog. I like seeing her kids (those kids have gorgeous skin! It has to be Photoshop, right?); I like the creativity of her photos.

I feel bad for her. I feel bad for anyone who puts their thoughts out there and gets mean comments. I don’t mean constructive criticism. I am talking about mean. I once got a comment where the poster said “…too bad your color choices are so hideous.” I didn’t think she was correct, but I still remember that comment. I am sorry she thought my color choices were hideous, but I would like to know why she felt the need to tell me in such a brutal manner. I am under no illusions that I get it right all the time, but hideous seems a little harsh. It was probably someone I work with getting back at me for making them to their job.

I can also appreciate that people have different expectations for a designer’s blog. I also feel that people are entitled to express their opinions and/or to click away from the offending post or blog.

I am here because I enjoy writing. I have a separate non-quilt project going and I need practice writing. This blog is my practice. It is an added bonus that I get to write about fabric and quilts and creativity. It is even more of an added bonus that you, dear reader, read and comment once in a while. Thank you!

I don’t post much about The Young Man for other reasons, but I do reserve the right to post about him and other stuff, if I feel like it.

I feel like I am ranting a bit lately. I’ll try not to do it too often. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming….

If you haven’t seen SammyK’s Spoonflower site, you have to go an look. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Back? Good. Doesn’t s/he have awesome stuff? My favorite is the Chefalopod. I have to find a reason to buy that panel. It is so hilarious.

Patterns
I have talked on and off about the Disappearing 9 Patch. I used it for the Food Quilt. Mrs. K asked me about the Disappearing 4 Patch, which I remembered vaguely from my mom talking to me about it. She found it and sent me a link. It doesn’t demand my attention, but I like the pattern more than I did the last time I saw it.

OMG! Camille Roskelly posted pictures of her individual Farmer’s Wife blocks. They are gorgeous! I want them. I’ll have to do something similar when I get enough of the A-B-C challenge blocks.

Color
I hope I can find enough content to fill up a color section. I saw this wonderful slideshow on color from someone on Twitter. I don’t remember who that smart, sharing someone was and I apologize, Smart Sharing Someone. I’ll try to do better.

Promising myself NO MORE FABRIC is a bad idea. Well, it is a good idea in theory, but, frankly, doesn’t work in practical terms. I do things like buy fewer fabrics in larger pieces. Well, that doesn’t help the closet situation.

It also doesn’t help that I continue to surf the web, especially following links from blogs like Camille Roskelly’s. I love her colors and her friends’ colors are the same. Today I followed a link to Pretty By Hand. Dead. I am dead. I saw that Lecien has a follow-up line to Flower Sugar. The Pretty by Hand writer (no idea what her name is…sorry) wrote about it. Mostly the same type of colors, better patterns. I am dead. Dead, I tell you. I need to sew faster and NOT look at any links sent out from Quilt Market. No matter what.

Other
I went to New Pieces to pick up the Zig Zaggy quilt. I took the opportunity to talk to them about quilting the Food Quilt. I was really impressed with their business-like attitude. The people who do the actual longarming weren’t there, but the two ladies who were there gave me a lot of good information. They told me, generally, what they do and what they don’t do. I really appreciate how upfront they were about it. They hauled out a laundry basket of quilted samples of their design. I thought that was a great idea! It gave me a good idea of stitch quality and variety of design.

 

Fall Journal Cover

I am on the last section of my current journal and know I will be needing a new journal soon. I have gotten used to using journal covers and thought it was time to make a new one. I have been using the Innocent Crush cover since I made it. Even though I have made others, none of them have felt the way the Innocent Crush journal cover feels.

Finished Fall Journal
Finished Fall Journal

Still, I enjoy using journal covers and I want to perfect the process, so I made a new one.

I am pleased with the fabrics I used – all scraps and bits from other projects, though the letters and numbers were a perk from Bear Patch Quilting in Minnesota.

I am glad I was able to use the Belle Fleur fabric, but I am a little annoyed that the piecing all ended up the back. I might switch the cover around so that the piecing is on the front even though that will mean that the letters are upside down. I might not care, but we will see.

Yes, I knew while I was working on this that I should be working on the Stars for San Bruno #3 quilt. I haven’t been in a really great mood, so I haven’t wanted to work on it, since I don’t want to infuse it with bad energy. I may have to eat more chocolate.

Finished Journal
Finished Journal

I decided to photograph this end up from above so you could all see the front and back.

I have heard mention of ‘lifestyle’ photographs that seem to be popular on blogs right now. I don’t have a photograph studio, so this was the best option I could think of at the time.

Bear Patch Quilting gave out small pieces of fabric (about 10″x10″), which is where I got the letters and numbers and fabrics. Apparently, they give them out to everyone who purchases something in the store. I think they were called Bear Paws. I was allowed to choose the fabric I wanted from a box they kept under the counter. I asked what kind of fabrics they used and the owner said that they cut from current fabrics.

Using Wonder Clips
Using Wonder Clips

One thing that worked out really well was the Wonder Clips. Again, I bought these in Minnesota. I had been wanting to try them for binding. I was tempted to buy the large size package, but decided to try the small one first. Good thing, because they worked fine for binding but not for my process. I already poke myself plenty with the needle and the clips stuck out too much for comfortable stitching.

I had a brain wave, however to use them to sew the journal cover together and that worked great! Using straight pins works ok, but it hard to insert them into the fabric when the cover is on the journal, but not sewn. I need to have the cover around the journal so that I get the fit right. The clips worked really well, because they didn’t interfere with the journal. I loved them for this purpose!

There is a link to the journal cover directions from the tutorials page on the toolbar (just under the AQ banner) above. You will see the submenus if you put your mouse over AQ Info. I welcome your suggestions on making this tutorial better.

 

 

A Few Things

PIQF 2011 Purchases
PIQF 2011 Purchases

I didn’t buy anything when I went on Wednesday night and Thursday, but Sunday I went back to PIQF and bought a few things. I didn’t take a picture of the inks. Didn’t have the wherewithall to do a lifestyle shot of them. I bought several inks. Trust me.

The Perl Cotton (some of which are Valdani) are for Kissy Fish, as is the embroidery book. I felt like I needed a few more colors and a few more stitches. That piece should be done, but it seems to be perpetually “almost finished.”

Soon.

The two magazines are from New Pieces. I went on Friday to pick up the Zig Zaggy quilt and saw them. The Japanese magazine has some great bags and some wonderful Trip Around the World pieces.

I told myself never to buy a Quilt Scene magazine. I think the idea of magazine reporting on the show and showing photos is fabulous.  I think the idea of a magazine about a show that couldn’t be published without projects was stupid. As you can see, I bought this one. The photos of the quilts (the few that are shown) are FABULOUS. This magazine also has the most beautiful Baltimore Album quilt I have ever seen. It is truly lush.

Block-a-Long #27: Headboard

Headboard #27
Headboard #27

I thought that with the last block I should quit, since you all could make a 5×5 quilt and I wouldn’t feel like I was leaving you hanging, but that is an awfully small quilt, so I decided to continue.

This could be made with only 3 fabrics, but it looks really good with 4 fabrics.

Take a look at the cutting sizes in the Headboard #27 Cutting Directions.

If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.

Last Jane Market Totes

Jane Market Totes
Jane Market Totes

Yes, I should have been working on the Stars for San Bruno #3 quilt, but I didn’t. these bags were cut out and I just wanted to get them out of my hair. I believe that these are the last two Jane Market Totes I need for Christmas. I counted three times as I was rearranging bags to take this photo and came up with the right number. I have to check with DH to make sure I know about everyone who needs one.

If these are the last ones, I would just like to point out that it isn’t even December much less the 24th of December and this part of the gift giving process is done!

I feel like these came out the best of all of the bags. I put some fusible interfacing on the bottom of the bag (after I cut out the corners) and that gave them a little more shape.

Creative Prompt #127: Ghost

Ghost Whisperer

back up and file recovery software

Ghost (movie with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore)

Definition: In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or wispy shapes, to realistic, life-like visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (book and movie)

Poltergeist

Ghostbusters!

Peeves

ghost hunters

paranormal entity

ghost town

Rolls Royce Ghost

Ghostland

spirits

Quote: An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
Charles Dickens

International Ghost Hunters Society

demons

Holy Ghost

ghost writer

Ghost Rider

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, also, 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 and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

Hexagon Progress

As you may have inferred, I got two quilts back from the stand-in longarm quilter last week, so I had two quilts to trim and bind. I don’t enjoy these steps in the process, probably because I don’t have a good set up for dealing with them. Colleen usually machine applies the binding and trims the quilts for me, but I didn’t feel like asking the new person since I don’t know her that well.

Friday, before the weekend, when I was at work, I made a list of tasks I wanted to accomplish during the weekend and trimming and binding these two quilts were among them. All of the tasks I wanted to accomplish were what I call ‘finishing tasks’ – making backs and bindings, trimming, applying bindings. Unsatisfying tasks, IMO. Of course, I like the finished products and I don’t mind hand stitching the binding, but getting to that stage is an uphill battle for me.

Hexagons, early October 2011
Hexagons, early October 2011

I buckled down and did the tasks and in between I added hexagons to the Sugar Flour Hexagon quilt top. I am not sure I will make a thousand hexagon quilts, but I making this one is really fun. The pieces are large enough so that it is not misery to machine sew the hexagons together.

I also enjoy the fabrics and, thus, the color placement. I thought of adding the hexagons in rows, but adding rows wouldn’t allow me to control the placement of the color in the same way.

I had fun with the blob, but want to make it more square, in anticipation of it actually being used for a quilt like purpose. I don’t know how large I will make it – I have plenty of fabric so that isn’t an issue – but I think, perhaps making the width in the neighborhood of how large I want the quilt to be would be a good idea.

Adding the hexagons was a really nice treat in between making the back, and binding and trimming Pavers and Stars for San Bruno #2.

Stars for San Bruno #3

Stars for San Bruno #3 Layout?
Stars for San Bruno #3 Layout?

I finally started the Stars for San Bruno #3 quilt. The picture is lame, I know. It looks like nothing and you can’s see the squares I put on point or squared up. I wanted those of you who participated to know I am not being completely lame.

Stars for San Bruno #2 is almost ready. #2 and #3 go to the same family, so I need to finish #3 before I can get #2 out of the house. I plan to work on it soon so you can see some real progress.

PIQF 2011

Zig Zaggy in the wild
Zig Zaggy in the wild

Last week, I spent Wednesday night and Thursday all day at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara. This is the first time in several years I have not rented a hotel room and stayed down there with TFQ. I stayed over Wednesday night with a friend who lives nearby so I wouldn’t have to drive back and forth, but I came straight home after the show closed on Thursday. As you read this I am presenting at a conference, so I had a lot to do on Friday and Saturday to get ready for the conference.

The Zig Zaggy quilt was part of the New Quilts for Northern California and I was pleased to see how well it was hung. It really hangs straight, too, which is always a thrill.

Angela's Kona Challenge
Angela's Kona Challenge

I didn’t hang around my quilt for hours, but the few times I passed by, I saw people studying it and taking photos, which is also always a thrill. I was with my mom and Julie part of the time. When we visited my quilt they gave me lots of kudos and told everyone within hearing distance that it was my quilt. I was embarrassed, but also a bit happy.

Angela’s Kona Challenge quilt, Kona Color Waves, was hung nearby, also as part of the challenge. It was so great to see it well hung. The color choices she made really work well. I hope she hangs it up in her house so she can admire it. I also hope other people are inspired by it.

World Quilt Exhibition
World Quilt Exhibition
Kathleen's Sunflower
Kathleen's Sunflower

BAMQG was well represented at the show as Kathleen’s sunflower quilt was hung there also.

I really enjoyed the World Quilt Exhibition this year. There was lots of good imagery, many, many Israeli quilts and great designs.

 

CQFAers were represented as well. Caroline had her landscape quilt in the show, prominently displayed at the end of an aisle. Marie had two, yes TWO quilts in the show. One was a Pineapple made from Hawaiian fabrics and the other used hand dyed fabrics. We helped Marie at her first meeting figure out how to proceed with the hand dyed quilt.

Some trends I noticed were: surface design appropriate to the quilt, lots of amazing quilting and stitching, again appropriate to the design and not over the top. I also lots and lots of portrait quilts. It was interesting to compare the different face techniques. There were also a lot of landscape quilts. I got the impression that people are no longer exploring their machines, but know what they can do and are doing those techniques well.

Faye's Quilt
Faye's Quilt

For a long time, I didn’t get to see my friend Faye, but I would get to see her quilts in the World Quilt Exhibition. Then, as her husband became more ill, she wasn’t able to enter quilts in the show either. Her husband, sadly, died a few years ago after a long illness and I have gotten to see her as she spends about 2 months near me every year now. I was also pleased to see her quilt, Stars, Curves and a Touch of Yellow, in this show.

The Quilt Show has a video up of various quilts. If my link doesn’t work check the Quilt Show’s Daily Blog for October 14, 2011.

My purchase downfall was Tsukineko inks and Perl Cotton. There was a booth at the show selling inks with tons of colors and I couldn’t resist adding to my collection.

Block-a-Long #26: Window

Another easy block for your 25th block. You can now make a 5×5 block quilt. I thought it looked like a glance at a window with a valance and a curtain.

Window #26
Window #26

The quilt will be about 30″ along each side without sashing and I recommend just butting the blocks up together.

Directions for Window #26 Block
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.

A-B-C Challenge Blocks

A-B-C Challenge Blocks
A-B-C Challenge Blocks

These are the blocks I have made so far for the BAMQG A-B-C (A-Z??) Challenge. I remade the Air Castle block (star, upper left) and am much happier with it. I didn’t think this project would be a learning experience, but it is. I think the Zoe Pearns dots need to be surrounded with a color, e.g. not white. I think they blend with the white white too much, especially since they are such small pieces.

I have to do the ‘E’. I thought I had decided on a block, but now I can’t remember what it was and quick look through my Around the Block books didn’t help. Stay tuned!

26 Projects

For some reason I felt the need to count up the projects I have in process. In process, to me, means that some sewing has taken place

26.

Yes, I have 26 projects in process. Too many. I was kind of appalled, actually, but when I thought about it, I realized that many of them are more than 3 years old. Some are half class projects. I used to stop, put a project away and go on to something new. I thought that was what quiltmakers did.

At some point I decided that I did not want to do that anymore. I have changed my process so that I gear up, gather, test and then focus like crazy on one project and finish it. I might be working on more than one project at a time, because they are in different stages, but at some point in the process each of them gets my full attention and gets finished. Once I focus on a project, I can finish pretty quickly.

I don’t enjoy making the back or the binding, but I get it done and THEN, only then, move on to the next project. Projects frustrating me now stay on the design wall so I don’t forget about them.

This post is not about finishing for finishings sake. I need brain space. I need closure on some of these projects. I need to work on them, learn what I need to learn, finish, or abandon them. They are cluttering up my brain and my fabric closet. They don’t allow room for me to start new things. And I have plenty of new things I want to start, fabric to buy, blocks to test.

Now I am on a mission to work through some of these projects. Stay tuned.