Views

I contemplate this view a lot. I am not always sure if I am thinking or just pretending to think so nobody will bother me. It is hard to know when I am writing about it and not doing it now. This is the Real View.

I took the Real View because of the fog… and in spite of the fog. It is a kind of defiance, I think. Summer is such a foggy time for this area. I feel I have to see the beauty in the fog. I don’t really see beauty in this photo itself, but there is a kind of beauty in the calmness of it.

After I took the photo, I couldn’t stop thinking that someone would be able to find my window by looking at my neighbor’s house and that I should conceal my view further.

All I could think of was a view I call the Pencil View.

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I did it with Paint Shop Pro. I didn’t draw it as I possibly would have at another time. I am not very confident with Paint Shop Pro, but I am pleased with how this turned out. Not completely pleased, though. I wanted less details and more lines and contrast. I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the pencil view to just leave the lines and eliminate the dots. No, I didn’t read the help file.

I tried another of the “Artist’s Effects” in PSP and came up with the Blue View.

This view has the clarity I want. This reminds me vaguely of a quilt I saw at New Pieces a long time ago. The quilt was made by Angie Woolman for a series of classes she taught there called Color Me Orange. Color Me Orange was very blocky and orange. Somehow this picture is just an impression in my mind of that quilt.

No Progress on Feelin’ Blue, Too

I am worried about the quilting. My quilter is gone until the end of the month and I am anxious that I won’t get the two quilts back in time to bind and sleeve them for the show. I am so worried that I have been contemplating quilting it myself. Not sure the body can handle it, though, so I haven’t actually committed to the quilting process. And before I decide, I have to doodle my quilting idea for awhile to see if it will actually work.

My mom assured me that she would help me finish the quilts no matter what time it got back. Why can’t I have faith? This is a theme lately and it tells me that I am in the wrong space.

Sitting down and doodling the quilt design, working on the sleeve and the binding would all help me move forward. I need to break the process into baby steps and JUST DO IT. I could also decide to forget the whole thing.

Self Portrait in Green

If you haven’t seen JZS’ self portrait, go and look at it immediately. I have been thinking about a similar sort of thing to put on my blog picture spot, but haven’t done it. Perhaps the time is now? JZS always inspires me with her work and especially her OUTPUT. She just keeps working while I moodily stare at things for a year and a day. Another quality to strive for! Onward!

Books and Moods

I am more than half way through Five Quarters of the Orange, listening to the digital version as I drive around. I like the descriptions, especially of the food. I am not much of a gourmet, so I think it is hilarious how much I enjoy books about food- this one and those such as Ruth Reichl’s books. I am enjoying it, even though some people don’t like it. It is nice to have something to listen to as I drive around. I have been out of sorts today. I am not sure why. Not enough sewing, not enough free time, I imagine. Perhaps I’ll have some time off after next week. I haven’t made any appointments. I have a hard time sewing during the weekdays, so we’ll see

Feelin’ Blue, Too – Top Complete

Feelin' Blue, Too Top
Feelin’ Blue, Too Top

I finished the top of Feelin’ Blue, Too last weekend. I finally finished the back yesterday. I haven’t applied the label yet. I did something different with the label this time. Mom bought me some printable fabric, so I created a label in Word and then printed it on fabric. I included a headshot of myself! Not sure why, but I did. It looks nice, but feels somewhat odd.

The color of the top nags at the back of my mind again. The oranges really stick out and I hope not too much to take away from the blue.

I haven’t found someone to quilt either of the quilts yet. I have a space reserved with CG, but she won’t be back until the end of the month and I won’t receive them back until August 15. I am amazed that she left right at the time that people would want to have their quilts quilted for the show. Of course, all of those people, myself included, should have been more organized.

The last post about Feelin’ Blue, Too was on July 2, 2005.

Creation Day

Feelin' Blue Blocks Sewn Together
Feelin’ Blue Blocks Sewn Together

Although I just finished the dishes, I spent most of the day being creative. After doing my Qi Gong exercises, I sewed all the Feelin’ Blue, Too blocks together.

Later this morning, my friend PG came over and we worked on our photo albums together. It is what we do together and I am glad that we do it. As a result most of my photos are in order. I have a backlog-from before W was born, mostly, but nothing out of control.

Having the photos in order means that W can look through his babyhood and enjoy the photos, laughing at himself.

Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to spend really making the pages gorgeous, rich and supple. For me, it is most important to get the photos in order, documented and on the pages. The scrapbook magazines show layered pages with few photos. I find that I need to put many photos on a page and write the stories about the photos. I do some embellishments; I want my pages to look nice, but not like everyone else’s.

Still the album-making is not like quiltmaking. The feel of the fabric is much better than paper. I feel so relaxed when I touch fabric.

Sewing the fabric together and making something new feels wonderful to me.

Feelin’ Blue, Too is typical for me in some ways. There are many, many fabrics and the fabrics work together in a wonderful way. I like using many fabrics, because I never seem to have enough of one fabric to satisfy my need for yards of it. In a way, having many fabrics makes each one special.

Feelin’ Blue, Too 2 halves

Feelin' Blue Two Halves
Feelin’ Blue Two Halves

This is one of the blocks that are scheduled to be sewn together. At the moment only the two halves are sewn together. I do like the way the four patch in the middle looks now that the halves are each sewn together. I think it will look great when the whole block is sewn together.

This is also one block that I thought had too little blue and too much other color in it. It has changed since parts were sewn together. As I mentioned, I think that all the different colors will work out.

I guess I had better get to it.

Feelin Blue detail 2

Feelin' Blue Two Halves
Feelin’ Blue Two Halves

My last little sewing jag resulted in half blocks, as I think I mentioned. Of all the half blocks, I think this is the one that I like best. I am surprised that I like this one best, because it has so much non-blue fabric in it. I just love those yellow-greens. JZS was so right when she said that the non-blue colors would end up looking ok. They look better than OK – they look great!

A Seam a Day….the Quilt Gets Finished that Way

All of the blocks for Feelin’ Blue, Too are sewn to another block, except for the corners. For the most part, I have half blocks now. I did sew one whole block together as a test. It looks great and I am thrilled with the way this quilt is coming out. I love the process and to see the way the quilt evolves each step of the way.

I did find, however, that I need to repress all of the half blocks so the seam allowance is going in the other direction. This will allow me to more easily make the middle seams match up. I know it seems like a small thing and who cares, really, in an art quilt? I care. I want the centers to match and I want to not be embarrassed when I look at it. If all of the blocks aren’t perfect, OK, but I want it to be done right and to have tried my best.

Some people don’t care about technique, especially in art quilts, but I think technique is important. It is important to try and do construction techniques my right way. Because of this, I am kind of being a hard nose on my students, but at least they will have learned my right way. After that, if they choose to do things another way, that is fine. At least they won’t be doing the other technique out of ignorance.

I am amazed at how fast the rows went together. I had about a row done already, but sewed 5 rows total. Each row has 4 or 6 blocks in it. I am thriiled that I am making progress.

Michael Adamson

This link will probably die at some point, but in the meantime, I am glad I found it. The site itself is clean and easy to view art at. Michael Adamson is a Toronto artist. I saw an article in the paper about him, which included a photos of his painting Elephant Walk, which I love. It is happy in a sophisticated sort of way (not a Hello Kitty sort of way). The man looks like he knows how to paint and has a method rather than just slapping paint onto a canvas, because he didn’t want to get a job.

Blog Out of the Closet

Well, I did it and came out of the blog closet to the Mavs. It is cool, actually, because a few people have commented. Now I feel pressure! I had better sew something tonight!

The quilt class is off for tomorrow, so I am off the hook for that preparation, but I would be smart to get my act together early rather than waiting until the last minute. I did pick out other blocks and make some of the handouts, so that is something. I also got some help on the basket block from EQ Tech Support. Penny responded, so I felt really special! I have to look at what she did and see if it will work.

Of course, I could finish the Drunkard’s Path and Grandmother’s Flower Garden blocks as examples. I feel a little lame for not having done those blocks yet.

I want to sew some more of Feelin’ Blue, Too (new name after talking to JZS and Aja) together as JZS and Aja are way ahead of me in putting the quilt together.

We’ll see. I may just rest.