Star Sampler Tests

Star Sampler Background Tests
Star Sampler Background Tests

I was still not quite ready to start this project, but I did need to decide on the background.

These two Sawtooth Stars are 4.5″ each. I used the Philip Jacobs print for the center and a couple of different background possibilities.

I really wanted the leaf print (right) from Simply Color by V&Co to work. I really like that print and wouldn’t mind having yards of it around. It would work with some of the solids I have chosen for the project, but, as you can see, with prints it would be a problem. I want the stars to be crisp and this print, sadly, makes the stars mushy.

I’ll put it on the back.

This conclusion meant that I needed to use the square dot print. I like it very much. It wasn’t what I expected to use, but I think I will like it. I wanted to do some more tests with some of the different fabrics, but the way manufacturers go through fabric lines, I had to get it quick before it was gone. The place I wanted to buy it was out, sadly ($4.20/yd!), but I found the amount I needed and am waiting for it to arrive.

The Garden Progresses

Garden front
Garden front

I said previously that I thought this piece was finished. I took it out on Friday in order to decide for sure and decided to put a facing on it and prepare the piece for finishing. The photo, left, shows the front with the facing applied by machine. I am sad that some of the edge detail was lost in the seam allowance. I’ll have to remember to plan better next time.

This piece didn’t need as much beading as the others I have done. I am not sure why. Laziness might be a factor, but the riot of color and fabric definitely draws attention to the elements of this piece. I don’t think it needs much detail to draw the viewer in.

I am a little sad about these small pieces. I really don’t have anywhere to display them, but would really like to have wally large enough to hang all of them.

Garden back
Garden back

I am particularly fond of the back. I used different colors to quilt and intended to cover up the back with a fake, but it looks so nice that I could barely stand to cover the edges with the facing.

Now I need to stitch down the facing and make the sleeve. I have a lot of cards to write for Christmas, so I don’t know if I will be able to finish this before the end of the year, but that is definitely my goal.

Now I feel like I can work on some of the other smaller pieces on the 26 Projects List. Perhaps I will do a blog post about each one as well?

Original Bullseye Top

Original Bullseye Top
Original Bullseye Top

I finished the borders for this Original Bullseye over last weekend (12/1). I thought for sure I would be able to finish the back as well, but the headache hangover kept me sewing at a snail’s pace. Also, I had to clear off the cutting table before I could sew.

For some reason, finishing this particular top makes me really feel like I have made true progress on the 26 Projects list.

This top has been hanging around so long (12 years!) that I know I am acting like I finished the whole quilt. I wonder how I will feel then!

Original Bullseye back
Original Bullseye back

I got a bug in my ear to clear out some projects on Friday and made the back for this piece. I am pleased with it and think it matches. It isn’t really very special, but is interesting. As an added bonus my white on black bin has some space in it!

I have to say that I am resolved not to let projects languish for years. In the recent past, I think I have been plowing through projects once they get past the hunting and gathering stage and I hope to continue that practice.

Fortunately, I have friends with better memories than me. Julie wrote a nice overview of our Bullseye project and reminded me that I started this quilt in 2001. Last post on this subject.

Pincushions

Pincushions
Pincushions

I made a couple of pincushions for the raffle baskets that will be up for raffle at BAMQG.

I have decided that I enjoy making these pincushions, so there will be more in my future. I have more of the Sandy Gervaise fabric from the charm pack, so I will make at least one more of these. I have more roving and more pellets, so I think I will make even more from other fabric.

I don’t know if tickets will be available of meetings, but if so, I will let you know.

You might also be interested in my last post on pincushions.

 

Design Series: Size/Scale

This is a companion post to Sandy’s podcast. Be sure and listen to our discussion.

Size and Scale are an element of design

Size and Scale are related terms

Definition:

  •  “Size and scale are words used to describe the physical size that a shape or form has in comparison other shapes or lines within the design field.” (A Fiber Artist’s Guide, pg.98)
  • “The size of a work in relation to humans; the size of the elements within the work in relation to each other.” (Art+Quilt, pg.64)
  • “Proportion relates to how shapes interact with each other within a design.” (Adventures in Design, pg. 74)
  • “‘Scale and ‘proportion’ are related terms that both basically refer to size. Scale is essentially another word for size.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
      • “‘Large scale’ is a way of saying big and ‘small scale’ means small.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
          • “Big is meaningless unless we have some standard of reference. A big dog means nothing if we do not know the size of most dogs. This is what separates the two terms,” size and scale. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
        • “Proportion refers to relative size, size measure against other elements or against some mental norm or standard.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
        • “…the scale of the pattern, that is, its size in relationship to the size of the pieces that are cut, will determine the impact of the pattern on the overall design of the quilt.” (Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d, pg. 80)

        Here are some general dictionary definitions of the terms we used in the podcast that you can mull over in your mind:

    Size (Merriam-Webster online dictionary):

    • Noun
      1. The relative extent of something; how big something is.
      2. A gelatinous solution used in gilding paper, stiffening textiles, and preparing plastered walls for decoration.
      Verb
      1. Alter or sort in terms of size or according to size: “some drills are sized in millimeters”.
      2. Treat with size to glaze or stiffen.
      Adjective
      Having a specified size; sized: “marble-size chunks of hail”.
      Synonyms
      magnitude – extent – dimension – measure – bulk

      Scale (Random House College Dictionary): a succession or progression of steps or degrees; a graduated series; an arrangement of things in order of importance.

      Proportion (Random House College Dictionary): the comparative relation between things or magnitudes; a proper or significant relation between things or parts; relative size or extent.

      Ratio (Random House College Dictionary): the relation between two similar magnitudes in respect to the number of times the first contains the second.

      Using Size:

      • “The principle of scale in a work of art is all about the volume of the message you wish to send to your viewer.” (Art+Quilt, pg.64)
      • “The scale of a work of art in relation to the viewer, its human scale, is often” one of the first considerations an artist makes.” (Art+Quilt, pg.64)
        • where will it be displayed? the atrium of a large office building or the foyer of a private home? (Art+Quilt, pg.64)
      • Elements in a design that are larger seem close. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.176)
      • Elements of a design that are smaller seem farther away. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.176)
      • Elements of a design that are larger seem more important, conversely elements of a design that are smaller seem less important. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.176)
        • I don’t want you to get the idea that small is unimportant. A small amount of yellow in a purple quilt can make all the difference to the overall design.
      • “Scale and proportion are closely tied to  emphasis and focal point. Large scale, especially large scale in proportion to other elements makes for an obvious visual emphasis.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
      • “Unusual or unexpected scale is arresting and attention getting. Sheer size does impress us.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.61) Magnifying something that is usually quite small can capture your attention through sheer surprise. A butterfly wing that fills the entire frame gains significance as you see extraordinary details seldom noticed in everyday life.” (Art+Quilt, pg.65)
        • Georgia O’Keefe is an example of an artist that uses this technique. (Art+Quilt, pg.65)
      • “An unnatural contrast of scale in your quilts can also be used to achieve interesting effects. Surrealists such as Salvador Dali used wildly confused internal proportions to intentionally create uneasiness in the viewer. One element that is purposefully out of scale with other elements within the quilt will attract the viewer’s attention and become a focal point.” (Art+Quilt, pg.65)
        • if you want to exaggerate a shape, “have some visual continuity between the shapes.”(Adventures in Design, pg. 75)
      • Think about the relative sizes of pieces in a quilt. It is important to vary sizes to add interest. (Fearless Design, pg. 32)
        • think about piecing the same blocks in different sizes in order to add interest to your quilt.

Using Ratio

Using ratios really has to do with proportion. The Fibonacci sequence has to do with ratios of objects to one another on the design field. “One powerful way to help your design evolve to its highest potential is to select the width and height dimensions that promote the natural movement of your design….select your dimensions based on a ratio that best suits your design. Observing your design’s directional flow and focus gives you a starting point to sort through your options.” (Adventures in Design, pg. 77)

      • “1:1 ratio is a perfect ratio for designs that radiate symmetrically from a center point….if your design is 24″ high in this ratio, it will also be 24″ wide.” (Adventures in Design, pg. 77)
      • “A 1:2 ratio provides added width to a horizontal design or it extends height to a vertical design. In this ratio, the longer dimension is twice as long as the shorter dimension. If you want one dimension to be 24″ wide, the other dimension would be double that – 48″ high.” An example of this ratio is Poulnabrone Dolmen (Adventures in Design, pg. 77)
      • The 1:3 ratio provides more lengthwise extension than 1:2 ratio. “In this ratio, one dimension is three times greater than the other dimension. This gives more room for the design to expand in one direction. Thus if you want one dimension of your design to be 24″, the other dimension would be 72″.” An example is a quilt called Acid Rain by Gloria Loughman. This ratio has allowed a “dynamic sky to evolve in her quilt.” (Adventures in Design, pg. 77)
      • “A 1:4 ratio greatly exaggerates the length of a design. One dimension is four times greater than the other dimension. If you want your 24″ high design to have an extreme horizontal extension, the 1:4 ratio would give you a width of 96″.” An example is Rhododendrons over Water by Amanda Richardson of Cornwall England  (Adventures in Design, pg. 77)
      • ” The 3:4 ratio is best used when a design has only slightly more movement in one direction than the other. In a 3:4 ratio, a design that is 24″ in one direction would be 32″ high in the other direction”…. Joen Wolfrom says that “the 3:4 ratio should be saved for such occasions when your design does not need much expansion in one direction or the other.” Example is Ticondrroga Star by Larisa Key, Willimatic, CT. (Adventures in Design, pg. 77) I use this ratio quite a bit, especially for block quilts, because I think it adds interest to the layout.
      • “A 2:3 ratio allows for more extended directional movement than a 3:4 ratio does. It doesn’t exaggerate the length as much as the 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4 ratios do. ” (Adventures in Design, pg. 77) If you have 24″ high quilt, your quilt’s width would be 36″. (Adventures in Design, pg. 78) Example is Fishermen’s Widows by Anna Faustino
      • The Golden Mean or 8:13 ratio is considered to be “the most beautiful, pleasing dimension for art and architecture…It provides beautifully balanced dimensions”, because of the subtle dimensional change. “The Golden Mean is a component of the Fibonacci sequence.” (Adventures in Design, pg. 81)   If you have 24″ high quilt, your quilt’s width using the 8:13 ratio would be 39″. (Adventures in Design, pg. 78) You can find a calculator for Golden Mean ratios at: http://goldenratiocalculator.com/ and there is a chart in Adventures in Design pg.81. An example of a quilt using the Golden Mean Ratio is Pamela Mostek’s Five Apples.

Notes:

        • A designer can use relative sizes to give a feeling of space or depth. Artists have taken this basic idea and exaggerated it by increasing the size differences. It is very common to many periods and styles of art to use different scales. (Pentak & Lauer, pg.176)
        • “In past centuries visual scale was often related to thematic importance. The size of the figures was based on their symbolic importance in the subject being presented… This is called hieratic scaling.” (Pentak & Lauer, pg.60)
        • “Private spaces are perfect for small, intricately stitched works and allow for a more intimate experience with the art.” (Art+Quilt, pg.64)
        • “When your entire field of vision is occupied by a work of art you can’t help but pay attention to it. ” (Art+Quilt, pg.64) [ Georges-Pierre Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte]
        • “The most renowned proportional number sequence is the Fibonacci sequence“…”The Fibonacci sequence begins as 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, and so on. Each successive number in this sequence is the sum of the previous two numbers. You can use small or large sections of this sequence to determine the dimensions of elements within a design.”… “The Fibonacci sequence highlights the strong relationship between mathematics, nature and art. (Adventures in Design, pg. 76)

          Fibonacci sequence from WolfieWolfgang.com
          Fibonacci sequence from WolfieWolfgang.com

The images denoting the Fibonacci sequence are fairly common. I imagine you will say “oh, of course! I have seen this!” when you see the spiral. Nautilus shells are also used as examples of the Fibonacci sequence. As we mentioned in the podcast, nature uses the Fibonacci sequence in its design field frequently. By doing a search on the term and looking at images, you will be amazed at the trees, flowers and other natural phenomena that include the Fibonacci sequence.

 

Resources:

Art+Quilt

Design Basics, 5th, c.1999, David A. Lauer, Stephen Pentak

Golden Ratio Calculator: http://goldenratiocalculator.com/

Painting by Numbers: the Fibonacci sequence in art by Curtis Belmonte and Conor Pappas

Creative Prompt #185: Autumn

I know some of you are in the depths of winter already, but we still have a Fall/Autumn here. I wanted to use this word before another year went by.

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.

Fall

Autumn leaves changing color

Jane LaFazio’s sketchbook

girl’s name

Definition: Autumn or Fall (play /???t?m/, /???t?m/ or /f??l/, /f??l/, respectively) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Southern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their respective seasons, but temperature lag (caused by the thermal latency of the ground and sea) means that seasons appear later than dates calculated from a purely astronomical perspective. The actual lag varies with region. Some cultures regard the autumnal equinox as “mid-autumn”, others with a longer lag treat it as the start of autumn.[1] Meteorologists (and most of the temperate countries in the southern hemisphere)[2] use a definition based on months, with autumn being September, October and November in the northern hemisphere,[3] and March, April and May in the southern hemisphere.

In North America, autumn is usually considered to start with the September equinox.[4] In traditional East Asian solar term, autumn starts on or around 8 August and ends on about 7 November. In Ireland, the autumn months according to the national meteorological service, Met Éireann, are September, October and November. [5] However, according to the Irish Calendar which is based on ancient Gaelic traditions, autumn lasts throughout the months of August, September, and October, or possibly a few days later, depending on tradition. In Australia, autumn officially begins on March 1 and ends May 31[6] According to United States tradition[citation needed], autumn runs from the day after Labor Day (i.e. the Tuesday following the first Monday of September) through Thanksgiving (i.e. the fourth Thursday in November), after which the holiday season that demarcates the unofficial beginning of winter begins.

Band – Dutch heavy rock collective

2009 movie

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus (Read more quotes about autumn quotes)

Various & Sundry #16

Housekeeping

Sadly, someone has somehow hacked into the Google search results for my site. I am working on it, the webhost is working on it and Deirdre is working on it. It appears to be different from the regular Pharma{}Hack, which is causing diagnostic problems. Here is how you are affected:

  • Live links are no longer allowed in comments. You can put the link in and it will be turned into text. Instead of clicking it and going to the site, you will need to cut and paste it into your browser.
  • HTML is no longer allowed in comments. We have found embedded code (damn you, clever hackers!) in spam comments which we think may be one of the culprits.
  • Spam is being deleted automatically. I booted Askismet off my site, because they wouldn’t do any of the above and have a new spam eradication service. If your comment looks like spam, it will be automatically deleted and I will never see it. If I don’t get back to you in comments or via email, your comment may have been marked as spam and deleted. You can reach me at jlapac {at} gmail {dot} com, if you want to contact me via email. I do prefer blog comments, though, so everyone can enjoy the conversation thread and your valuable comments.
  • If you click on a link to my blog from Google results, it might look fishy, but will take you to a spam free post.

So sorry about this nonsense. I hope it will end soon.

Doing Good
A month has passed since Hurricane/SuperStorm Sandy hit the Northeast. It is so easy for us here in the West to just go on with our lives and forget what others are going through, because we were not affected. The Red Cross needs donations. Use an official site or envelope to donate; don’t give to random people who ask you for money. If you want to contribute to Hurricane Sandy quilt efforts, the Vesuvius Mama blog (the blocks I made have already arrived.) and eQuilter are both coordinating efforts for quilts for Hurricane Sandy victims. You can see some of Vesuvius Mama’s quilts on a later post. Other types of crafters need supplies, too. Thanks to Deirdre for the link to CERF + Exchange Artists Relief effort.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe has also started collecting quilts and store bought blankets for her neighborhood, Rockaway. You can read her blog post for details.

My local guilds are working on quilts, etc, too, so…

Go out and do some good!

Quilts Around the Web

The Blogger’s Quilt Festival has been a treasure trove of quilts. I have been particularly interested in the various Jelly Roll quilts or Jelly Roll looking quilts that I have seen. The Something for Nothing blog had a Jelly Roll quilt that is one of the most successful I have seen. I like the way she has added a solid Jelly Roll to the print Jelly Roll.

I like this Spiderweb as well. I like the way she used one print for each pointy piece.

If you are not reading the Sweet Dreams by Sarah blog, you should. She has a great voice. Not funny so much as it makes me smile.

Quilt World News

City Quilter in NYC was closed for several days due to Superstorm Sandy. They are back in business after their water and power was restored. No damage and their employees are all fine. Hooray!

Sad news that has nothing to do with Superstorm Sandy. Kindred Quilts in New Jersey is closing. Toby wants to spend time with her family, so the store will be closing before Christmas. They will be having a massive sale, so go visit, if you live in the area.

SherriD is writing letters. Did you see her post? Will you write letters, too? I have 4 letters, yes real letters with handwriting and stamps, that need responses. I spend too much time sewing!

GenQ magazine is doing a survey. It isn’t a terrible survey. I think they ask some good questions, but they don’t give opportunities for essays. I always like to give people my opinion. I just like to do it in my own words. When you create a survey, make sure they is space for essays and ideas.

I thought about putting this story about Idaho inmates making quilts into the Doing Good section, because they are doing good, but there is a different tone in that section today. I like the recycling and making do aspect of this project. I am also thrilled that the project is doing the inmates some good.

Amy Butler has launched Blossom, her “visual journal, which is all about loving your life and living it fully and authentically.” The first issue is free.

Patterns, Ideas and Inspiration

Here is a hand sewn hexagon sewing caddy/pincushion tutorial. Pam of Hip to be a Square podcast fame made one from the Sew Mama Sew line.

I found a great use for Pinterest: shared boards! TFQ and I are planning a project. I think we will each work on our own, but do the same pattern. We were emailing links and photos back and forth and I was creating a Notability notebook, but then I thought I would create a board on Pinterest when I started to bump up against my limited Notability skills.  TFQ saw that I created a board and wondered if she could add to it as well. I checked around and found that we could both contribute! Now we are both adding ideas for quilts to the board. We are having so much fun PLANNING and talking. It is just what I was imagining when we started talking about it.

The project above started when I started hearing the podcasters, such as Pam, Sandy, Daisy, Nonni, and Katie, talk about Bonnie Hunter’s Easy Street Mystery quilt. They and a number of listeners are working along with Bonnie Hunter on this latest mystery quilt pattern. Apparently she does one every year. This one has been going on since 11/23. The podcasters started a Flickr group to show photos and encourage each other. Despite all this support, I am not much into mystery quilts, so I decided to download the patterns and see what I need to do before I commit. It isn’t like I have a shortage of projects to work on, you know. Have you seen the 26 Projects list? 😉 You can still get started and play along.

Along the Easy Street lines, Daisy of Lazy Daisy Quilts has a Flying Geese tutorial for the second part of Easy Street. This is similar to Deb Tucker’s Wing clipper method, but you don’t need the ruler. The method works with a regular ruler as well.

Pat Sloan has a machine binding tutorial. I haven’t had a chance to review it, but I want to after my attempt at binding a quilt by machine.

A week or so ago, I posted about a pattern I called Stars & Stripes. I couldn’t find it in EQ7, but I also didn’t look very hard. One of my fabulous readers, Mrs. K wanted the pattern and I got some others who were interested as well. I drew it out quickly and am posting the Stars & Stripes Foundation Pattern and a rendition of the Stars & Stripes Foundation Sample Quilt for your sewing pleasure. Note that you need 4 of the foundation patterns to make one entire star.

Pat Bravo has her own blog now. I would have thought she had one for a long time, but I guess not. Her first post is filled with luscious inspiration from her trip to Paris. I want to go and buy some of those cups.

Do you EQ? Here is a blog post that gives some tips and trips about importing doodles. You know you want to machine applique‘.

In the same area, there is also a BlockBase sew-along, which gets you sewing and gives lessons on using BlockBase (and by association, EQ). If you want to stretch, this is your project!

If you haven’t been following Sandy’s Total Color Tuesday posts, she just posted a new and fun one this week. These are a good group of posts to read in order to learn about color.

BAMQG Meeting pt.2

Kathleen preparing the table
Kathleen preparing the table

One part of the meeting I didn’t write much about Monday was the party part. Kathleen headed up the party committee and the table decorations and food were amazing.

I really like the vase she and Kelly made. It is modern and fun and just a nice centerpiece.

Enjoying the food
Enjoying the food

People seemed to like the food. You can see the nice view outside. I really like the trees and the green. The room was a bit warm and the windows didn’t open, but the view was great, especially after the rain stopped.

Great Team!
Great Team!

One of the nice things that happened was that Adrianne acknowledged all of the coordinators. She had everyone who contributed to the success of the guild this year stand up and be thanked. It was an impressive group.

I don’t know how many of these people will continue, but I hope that others will step into their shoes.

Kelly's big wagon
Kelly’s big wagon

We couldn’t do it without Kelly’s big wagon. This is a fold up wagon that holds A LOT! At other meetings she has helped me by carrying some of my stuff into the room. She hauled a lot of stuff for this meeting.

People enjoying themselves.
People enjoying themselves.

Fat Quarter Swap

I know I did all the fabric-y stuff in the last post. I didn’t have photos of my fat quarters, thought and I wanted to make sure my fabulous swap partner was acknowledged and thanked. Yes, I will write a thank you note, but a nice public note is nice, too.

As I said, I came home with a headache and that ended any thought of additional blog work. I finally did a massive photo shoot and was thrilled with the fabrics that Peggy, my swap partner, picked for me.

Fat Quarter Swap fabrics
Fat Quarter Swap fabrics

She picked out Ty Pennington’s Impressions for me. This isn’t a group I would have chosen for myself, but I like the variety of scales in the pack. I usually don’t buy dark blues, so it is good to see some for a change. My stash of them is low after the Stars for San Bruno quilts.

All in all, a great meeting and a much appreciated guild.

 

Star Sampler Fabrics

Time flies when you are having fun. I am enjoying musing over possibilities for this project. I didn’t think I would since I like to get sewing quickly, but I am determined to enjoy this fabric selection process and it, as it turns out, is not difficult.

I bought a couple of fabrics last week when most of the network was down at work, except the Internet. I did do work, really, I did – more than others, I think – but at some point, I couldn’t get into my email and there wasn’t any new work coming in. After you clean your desk and read all your piled up magazines, contracts and make a ton of phone calls that have been put off, what else is there to do but buy fabric? 😉

Dot Background?
Dot Background?

The fabrics came yesterday, which was perfect timing, because I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and they made me happy. I was able to play a bit and I even washed a couple of the fabrics.

There is always a surprise when I buy multiple fabrics and the turquoise and chocolate dot on white (middle of photo, right) was one of those happy surprises. I really like it and think if it had purple instead of the chocolate, it might be a perfect background for the stars. Still, I like it, but the chocolate does stand out a little more than I would like. I suppose I could add chocolate to the entire piece to add a bit of spark. I’ll have to try some out and see what I think.

I have to make visual decisions visually, so I will make a sample star, as well, before I decide.

Leafy Background?
Leafy Background?

Really, there is no shortage of blues at my house, but I seem to crave the calm feeling they project, so I keep buying more.  The three blues on white in the middle are also background candidates. I didn’t even buy them with that in mind, but thought of it when I saw them.

I almost bought more of the leafy V&Co print without even trying it. I stopped myself, because I want to make a sample and make sure the leafy blues and greens, don’t bleed into the other fabrics, destroying the crispness of the stars. I do think the leafy print would be a bold choice, because of the leaves.

Leaf and Dots
Leaf and Dots

I think the large dot on the middle left would be a pain. I think the pooling of the color at the bottom (top in the photo) would make it hard to use as a background. I do think it will work as an adjunct fabric for a star. The turquoise squares on white are a more conventional choice and might be a good one to fall back on in a pinch.

I keep thinking of this see-through star from someone else’s quilt in the quilt-a-long Flickr group when I think of the background. I don’t think I want to use a solid, but I do like the effect of looking through the star to the background, so I want to be sure and choose something that will help achieve that effect.

Testing the waters
Testing the waters

These fabrics all look good together and I think any of them would be fine, really. I think the leafy print looks good with the purples and the greens are similar, too.

At the moment, I am completely ignoring the purples I want, and need, to add. I like that Chicopee purple, but I need something that is a more bluey purple as well, like the background of the Philip Jacobs print. I’ll keep working at the fabric selection.

I have to admit that I thought about completely changing direction and going with pinks. Perhaps I will do two of these at the same time…except that that would mean I would have to pick background fabrics for two quilts.

I started talking about this project in a post a few days ago.

BAMQG December Meeting

The meeting went well. It was held at a different location, because of the crazy traffic last year. I really liked the space around this Library’s community room. The schedule of the meeting had a lot of different parts.

Fat Quarter Swap Fabrics
Fat Quarter Swap Fabrics

One of the activities was a fat quarter swap. I am terrible at wrapping gifts, which is why I use gift bags. I wanted this package to be pretty. I thought and thought and could not figure out how to be a successful gift wrapper. Friday I took the fabrics down, because I was on a deadline. I had to wrap the gift. I looked at the fabrics and realized that I had chosen fabrics that were pretty and cheerful. I went rummaging through my ribbon stash and found this lovely orange fabric ribbon. I decided to use the fabric as the wrapping. For a wrapping challenged person, I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Fat Quarter Swap
Fat Quarter Swap

Peggy was my FQ swap partner and she bought me a set of blue and green fat quarters from the Fat quarter shop. they are really cool looking. She wrapped my group in another piece of fabric.

The packages looked really pretty wrapped up. People did clever things wrapping. I always get ideas and then I can never remember to use the ideas later.

Kathleen's Blocks
Kathleen’s Blocks

I showed the A-B-C Challenge quilt and back. A few other people brought their finished A-B-C challenge pieces. Michelle and Lynette both brought their pieces and they did a really good job. A lot of us did similar blocks, but with the different arrangements and layouts and fabrics, they all look different. Others brought their blocks. Kathleen worked on her blocks during the sew-in. Rhonda worked on putting sashing on her blocks. I don’t know if we will have enough to finished quilts to enter in the San Mateo County Fair as a group.

I really like the graphic nature of Kathleen’s blocks and fabric choices.

Donation Quilts
Donation Quilts

I also showed the cat beds and the Baby blocks quilt I finished for the Charity Girls. I was pleased to see another 6-7 quilts brought in for the charity drive. It is amazing how people keep bringing in quilts that they have finished. It is amazing that everyone works together on getting the quilts finished. I love it.

Corner Store basted
Corner Store basted

I forgot to bring the Spiderweb to show, but brought all the parts to baste the Corner Store. I decided I wanted to try and quilt it myself. I want to finish it and the only way that will happen is if I do it myself right now. Rhonda and Deborah helped me baste, which I appreciated so much. They are awesome at basting and that quilt looks good. We used every single safety pin I brought. I could have used more, but it worked with what I had. Perhaps I will quilt it while I am off work over Christmas.

I was really pleased to be able to stay for the sew-in for a little while. I came home with a headache, though, that lingered through yesterday.

Star Sampler

TFQ and I decided we wanted to work on a project together. We will each do our own quilts, but we will do the same pattern.

We thought about Bonnie Hunter’s mystery challenge Easy Street, but decided to do our own project. We will be working on a star sampler along the lines of Oh My Stars. The whole idea is to be able to chat about some project together.

One fun thing we found is that boards on Pinterest can be shared! Who knew? That was fun. I probably could have done that forever, but TFQ moved me along.

Star Sampler Fabrics -first batch
Star Sampler Fabrics -first batch

At the moment, we are both gathering fabrics. I think TFQ is farther ahead than I am on that front, but I am excited about the fabrics I have picked so far.

Of course, I have a Philip Jacobs fabric. This fabric pulled my color scheme together, sort of. I saw the non-PJ fabrics laying on top of the PJ fabrics and thought they would work together. The solids are from the Chicopee line and the dots are just….dots.

I need more fabrics; I want the piece to be scrappy, but a controlled kind of scrappy. I just haven’t taken the time to look yet. I think I need another purple or violet as well. I know I want a lot more fabrics.

One big problem, for me, is the background. We need about 4.5 yards for the background and I don’t have that much of any fabric. I am not sure what look I want for the background. I thought about one of the dots that I have with a white background. Some of the fabrics I have may be a possibility, but I have to look–I have to make visual decisions visually.

Creative Prompt #184: Cake

Today is the Young Man’s birthday, thus the word is in celebration of his special day. Thanks for playing along.

sponge cake

Victoria Pastry, North Beach

beefcake

fruit cake

cheesecake

Definition:

Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape. Determining whether a given food should be classified as bread, cake, or pastry can be difficult.

Modern cake, especially layer cakes, normally contain a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil, with some varieties also requiring liquid (typically milk or water) and leavening agents (such as yeast or baking powder). Flavorful ingredients like fruit purées, nuts, dried or candied fruit, or extracts are often added, and numerous substitutions for the primary ingredients are possible. Cakes are often filled with fruit preserves or dessert sauces (like pastry cream), iced with buttercream or other icings, and decorated with marzipan, piped borders or candied fruit.[1]

Cake is often the dessert of choice for meals at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. There are countless cake recipes; some are bread-like, some rich and elaborate, and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified so that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake.

Cake (band)

Gateaux

Kuchen

flourless cake

Cake Boss

birthday cake

sheet cake

cupcake

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.

bundt cake

Hostess cupcakes

Wedding cake

Layer cake

icing on the cake

Cake Wrecks

Climate Adaption Knowledge Exchange

Cake decorations

2005 movie

clot

slice of cake

Nursery Rhyme (Wikipedia):

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Roll it, Pat it and mark it with B,
Put it in the oven for baby and me.[1]
Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Roll it up, roll it up;
And throw it in a pan!
Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.[2][3]
Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Roll it up, roll it up;
Put it in a pan;
And toss it in the oven as fast as you can! (common modern versions)

A-B-C Challenge Back

A-B-C Challenge back
A-B-C Challenge back

Sunday, I worked on the A-B-C Challenge back. I finished the top on Saturday and got busy with the back on Sunday. It took forever. Well, it seemed like it took forever.

I think I was just tired. I took last week, mostly, off, but with one thing and another, I did a lot.

Another thought is that I have really high expectations of what I can accomplish in a given number of hours. I don’t usually count requests for my chauffeur service, laundry duties, lunch, etc.

For once, I was very careful about pressing the seams open, though Colleen never says anything about that. I am proud of myself.

I am also pleased that I could use another giant piece of Martha Negley fabric. I love her prints, just like I love Philip Jacobs prints. Putting the large flower on the back of the Flowering Snowball was such a great experience that I wanted to repeat it. This particular print has some odd colors, but they go well with the Empire gold that Pat Bravo loves and includes with her collections. Also the green goes well with that border fabric.

I am trying to use larger pieces and make simpler backs. They take less time. Can you tell how simple this back is compared to the Stepping Stones back? I wonder what I was thinking!

Donation Top

Stars & Stripes blocks
Stars & Stripes blocks

In looking for the Original Bullseye, I came across two other projects. One was additional blocks for the Spiderweb. Those are going straight to the Charity Girls at BAMQG. I am not working on anymore of those blocks. I also found several Stars and Stripes blocks.

This foundation pieced pattern was given to me by a guild – the San Francisco Quilt Guild, I believe – a long, long time ago. They were collecting blocks in blues with white centers for some kind of quilt around 1997. I had a tiny baby, a new house, a new job and a DH with a new job at the time so my memories are little foggy. I don’t remember and I don’t know if I took a photo. I remember making at least one block to donate, but I really became enamored with the design of this block. I began making it in pinks, oranges, reds and yellows.

Unsewn block
Unsewn block

Then something happened and I lost interest. Actually, I think “lost interest” is a nice way of saying that I made some bad design choices, and started to dislike foundation piecing. The combination became deadly.

This was about the time I started the Spiderweb. I loved the possibilities of foundation piecing at that time. I still like the possibilities; I am just less enamored with the foundation piecing part. I couldn’t fix the design issues without redoing a lot and I abandoned the project. I have decided that it will stay abandoned. Not the pattern, because the pattern is cool, but this particular rendition of the pattern.

I know that this will make a really bright and cheerful donation quilt, so I don’t mind giving it away.

Much.

Sewn Block
Sewn Block

I always have a pang of regret every time I decide to abandon something. I feel bad that I don’t want to finish something, but frankly, I feel like I can’t finish everything, especially the projects that are so old I barely remember starting them. I can move through projects, even complex projects, much faster now, so there is less figuring and testing.

Once I get through the 26 Projects List, I don’t intend to let projects linger or put them away for ‘later.’ Famous last words. Stay tuned to see if I live up to my intentions!

 

#BFSI in Review

Yesterday I detailed all the BFSI comments you wrote (keep ’em coming!) and the prizes I gave away. I actually did get sewing done, which was great. I don’t feel like I got as much sewing done as I would have liked, but I got enough done. I guess.

As an aside: Is it ever really possible to get enough sewing done? I don’t know what enough sewing is, so I can’t say. I would like to try to figure it out, though.

Enough of that.

I know that there were a number of people who had to work, Kati had problems with her laptop, so could only follow along and others had family obligations, so I feel lucky to have gotten done what I did get done.

I started out the day by getting up a bit on the late side…for me. I got up around 7am and since we had 24 people over to eat the night before, I got the first load of non-china dishes going in the dishwasher while my tea steeped. There were also some things that needed to be soaked, so I put them in hot water as well. I could hear the call of Twitter, though, throughout the chores, so I didn’t stay away for much longer.. My phone has been acting up, so I gave it a good talking to, which encouraged it to work. I was able to use it during the day as well.

I kind of think that I did some #BFSI warm-ups earlier in the week with the cat beds and the donation blocks. Who doesn’t need a good warm up?

I promised to make two pincushions for the BAMQG raffle basket, so I decided to get busy on those. The meeting is next week, after all, so I didn’t have much time.

I used a charm pack from Sandy Gervaise called Objects of Desire and the Petit Gateau pattern from Fig Tree quilts. This is the pattern I used before and I liked it.

In general, I like Sandy Gervaise’s fabric designs. They are fun, generally cheerful or have a bit of humor. She also usually includes dots, which I love. I have found, thoughn that her color choices are usually a bit too beige for me. She often has a really good and fun print on the front of the charm pack, but as I pick through the fabrics (which is one reason charm packs are great!), I find many of the fabrics to be ‘Meh.’ I don’t hate them by any stretch, but they aren’t my favorites.

Pincushions in progress
Pincushions in progress

Why choose ‘meh’ fabrics for pincushions, you ask? In small doses they are a relatively cheerful and a nice combination of fabrics for a pincushion. It took me some time to get them together, but once I made the half square triangles, they went pretty quickly. I sewed a couple of charms together to make the gusset piece. I thought about digging around in my fabric closet, but have plenty of charms, so that worked for me.

I have a lot of charms from the pack left so might make a couple more pincushions as gifts. They are fun and cute.

I have some hand stitching to finish, buttons to attach, but I am pleased with the way they look. They are cheerful and I like the different scales of fabric.

I also worked on the A-B-C Challenge. I know I talked about it before, but in order to get to the stage of FINISHED top, I worked on the border on Saturday as well. I spent most of the time that I worked on this piece on the grey inner border.

Patchwork Wheel #7 & 8
Patchwork Wheel #7 & 8

I also always need leaders and enders. That is mostly how I am getting the Patchwork Wheel blocks done. I doubt I will get a quilt top from them finished by the meeting next Saturday, but I can finish it by January.

Sandy talked about her BFSI experience on her blog. Sarah detailed her progress and she had to go to work! Pam did a lot of sewing work, but admitted to finishing the Star Wars quilt during the Black Friday Sew-in. Katie made major progress on her Orca Bay quilt. She was being good and trying to finish it before Easy Street started.

Did you join in? What did you work on?