Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
There is some kind of pajama meme going around. Read my previous entry and you’ll know why I am out of the loop. I did forget to mention there that I did a massive work project last weekend on short notice. I worked like a dog, even staying up all night, but I charged the client a boatload of money. Hopefully, they will pay soon.
Still, I was pleased to read Julie’s post and find out that I would get polka dot pajamas with pockets. YAY! Just what I wanted, especially if they were in flannel!
Christmas is here! My Christmas decorations and gift bags are still in storage. The cabinets for storing all the stuff are still sitting in the middle of the laundry room floor, though some progress has been made. As a result, I need gift bags. A few weekends ago, I sat down and made about 8.
I think I bought this funky red and green fabric last year and it is what I used for this bag making foray. I love how cheerful it is! I have some more fabric in the same line that has a white background. We’ll see what I get made with it! Of course, you’ll hear it here first. 😉 In the background are bags I made last year, which you can read about in this post.
Last night we went to a party where there was a gift exchange – the kind where people can steal from each other. I saw the bag above and didn’t care much for what was in it, but really liked the bag and wanted to get my hands on it, so I could see how it was made and decorated. I am thrilled that I got to keep it, because it can really add to my repertoire of bag tricks. It is felt! DUH! Why didn’t I think of that??? Also, the hem is folded over about 1.5″ and then holes have been made in the hem and the string has been run through them. I love this idea, because it gives more substance to the closure. Also, it is so easy to decorate with felt – just glue the decorations on. I think this would be a great project to work on with kids. Sadly, I gave away all of my extra felt recently, so if I want to make some of these, I’ll have to buy more. Happily, felt is cheap.
Laume, over at Beach Treasure, writes “There are a lot of gorgeous blogs out there this time of year, filled with images of smiling children, beautifully handcrafted gifts, and gorgeously decorated homes. I ooh and ahhh at the pretty snow scenes and sigh at the glittery soft edged vignettes of holiday trees. These posts inspire me. They make me want to jump up and make my own home look just as beautiful. I want to have the perfect holiday too!”
This is soooo not me this year. While I have been preparing for Christmas pretty consistently and have most of the cards and gift buying complete, I don’t feel the joy of the season in my heart. I don’t have snow or smiling children wearing plaid vests and skirts in front of a perfectly outfitted Christmas tree. I look forward to Christmas, but I can never seem to enjoy the preparations that much and this year is harder than the past. More time is what I need.
More time, also, for sewing. I have made none. Note that I don’t say “I have had none,” because I have had some, but have chosen to ignore the messy sewing table, the incorrectly sized Pineapples and everything related to needle and thread. The reality is that the momentum for the Pineapples is gone. I am dejected about them and don’t want to continue to work on them anymore. This makes me feel even worse, because I really, REALLY wanted to work on one project from beginning to end. I just don’t feel that I need to work on a project that isn’t bringing me some kind of joy. There is so much in my life that does not bring me joy right now that I don’t need anything else.
The worse part is that when I haven’t been sewing, I don’t write to you. I can’t promise that I will turn over a new leaf on that front, but I am going to try do some sewing, at least some more Christmas bags.
So, I am going to put up the Pineapple and do something else. I am thinking the chocolate box, but we will see.
and, BTW, Laume is a very smart woman with a good head on her shoulders. As well, she can tell you what you need to know without harping or lecturing. Go read her entire post!
Jane Sassaman sent out a newsletter today, which is why I am over looking at her site. I came across her Visual Bibliography and think this is a great idea. Pam RuBert wrote about a new book she is using for inspiration and now JS has posted about it, too. Hhhmmm…a trend? Time will tell. What do you read/look at for inspiration?
These aren’t your standard sweet, dusty rose hearts. The patterns from Jane Sassaman makes them seem lively and fun.
Check out the whole page.
Melody Johnson has a little series of quilts over at Fibermania that are quite wonderful. I love the colors of one as well as the slight tilt of the tree. I also like the blue lines on the left and the red diagonal lines on the right. scroll down when you get to her blog to see the others.
I really like photos where there are a bunch of different photos put together in one. This is a great example and Janet has a new Etsy shop where you can buy copies of her fab photos – just in time for the holidays.
PamDora jolted me out of my visual journaling non-progress with her recent post and pointer to a book. I checked out my local library to see if they had it and, sadly, they don’t. I’ll have to see what my other options are for getting it without buying it and actually having to store it. Good idea, though. Perhaps PamDora will loan it!
I don’t want the clutter, but I do want the color. I guess that means painting walls. Let me know if you want to come over and help. 
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He was not bemused or amused. He was rooting around in my fabric closet (first mistake), which doubles as a place to store filing cabinets and Christmas gifts, when the pile of dots, conveniently, but precariously, piled right at the front of a bunch of fabric piles fell on his feet. He claims it covered his knees as well. Totally untrue, but I can see how he might think that. He told me to stop buying fabric. HA!
Anyway, Be*mused makes an excellent point. Pillow cases are GREAT for gifts as well as using up conversationals. I have some great conversations that I doubt will ever make it into quilts. They are currently in the “back of the quilt” stack. Pillowcases for the nieces and nephews might be another good way to avoid the Pineapple. Not this year as Christmas is already only 24 days away, but I could think about it for next year assuming I ever get any additional free time.
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Sadly (I guess it is my day for sadness), I won’t be heading out that way until the summer. Do give me a review and let me know if you liked it. Perhaps I will put the book on my Christmas list. Hhhmm.
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I received an e-mail today to subscribe to QH. Since I hadn’t gotten around to sending in the card, I clicked on the link and in 2 minutes, I was done. I am behind an issue now, so I still have to go and find that one, but am glad that I won’t have to hunt around for hilarious quilt reading material after this.
And while you are at it, read the Washington Post article. If the Post asks you to register, get a slightly used login from BugMeNot.
Linda Cline, a very prolific and talented quiltmaker has started her own blog, Linda’s Art Journal. Although she only has a few posts up, I was immediately struck by her comments on sketchbooks/visual journaling in her first post.
Linda plans to use her blog as her visual journal, which is an interesting idea. Obviously, I do that, but I don’t think it is the same as a visual journal in which I use colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc to convey and idea or get an idea out of my head. I feel, for myself, that the screen and the keyboard are a kind of barrier. Not a complete barrier, because, obviously, here I am writing away. Still, I do find them to be a partial barrier. In order to post something, I have to use the keyboard to write it, modify (crop, shrink) photos in a piece of software and then upload everything so you can see it.
I enjoy putting pen/pencil/crayon etc to paper. I enjoy the feel of the implement gliding or sliding or rubbing over the paper. I enjoy the feeling of the paper on my hand.
I think there is a place for both in my fiber and visual work. I look forward to exploring more on this topic with you. I think there is value in exploring creativity via different media.
Welcome to the Blogosphere adventures, Linda!
I didn’t get to spend the entire day on Friday on the Pineapples as I would have liked, but I got to spend some time on them and make some progress.
First, I needed to figure out the corner problem.
For Pineapple corners, you need to cut a square in half. The book assumes you have pieced perfectly and tells you to cut squares which are 1.75″ wide and use them to make the block and the squares that go on the corner. Because I was actually using fabric, which stretches and has fabric qualities, 1.75″ didn’t work for me. Below are the sizes I tried.
2″ works on some, but not all. I don’t want to rip the ones out that are too small and I can’t tell until I have sewed them, so 2″ squares (cut in half to form a triangle) are out.
3″: a little too big. I don’t need that much extra overlap.
2.5″ : still too big. I still don’t need that much extra for trimming.
2.25″ : looks too big, but once you sew it on it isn’t.
Here is the triangle cut from the 2″ square laid on top of the triangle cut from the 2.25″ square. It gave me a visual clue of the difference in size.
With the 2.25″ squares (cut into triangles), they work. They have enough play so I can trim them and make the blocks look beautiful. I was pretty excited about REALLY finishing the blocks and putting the quilt together until…
I put four blocks together. Sigh.
As you can see above, the border blocks fit pretty well together, but the center blocks (well, at least the one I finished with corners) are much too small, which means that they don’t work with the border blocks.
What does this mean?
How did this happen?
I used the same strips, the same sewing machine.
The only difference was the iron.
I am exceptionally down about this and truly ready to put this quilt away and start something new. That is exactly what I didn’t want to do. For once, I wanted to work on a quilt from start to finish.
I will add a few more corners to other center blocks and see if they are all too small, then I will decide what to do.
