Tag: Projects

Use this tag for posts that covers a variety of types of projects in one post such as the 26 Projects posts. If the post is about a bag, use Project-Bag. If the post is about a quilt, use Project-Quilt

A Little New Work

Wayne Thiebaud said in a City Arts and Lectures * show, and I am totally paraphrasing, that he did his work and he would let history judge whether he was an artist or not. I have decided to take that tact as it makes me uncomfortable to say that I am an artist. As a librarian I know I am creating a library with library services. With quiltmaking, I can’t say if I am creating art. It is one of the types of work I do and one which I enjoy. That is it. If it is art, great. If not, that is ok, too.

To that end, as I mentioned in a previous post, I haven’t done much work lately, but I keep reading and trying to put a few stitches into various projects. Craft Night will be here tomorrow, so I will have a bit of time to make a few more stitches.


Here is my latest Cross Block (Flowering Snowball). I was pleased to receive a request from CamillaKnits for the templates. She has become enamored with the pattern, which is great. I love these old blocks that are not quick pieced blocks and am glad I am spreading the joy. If you don’t have a copy of Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, go buy one as soon as you stop reading this post. It is great for inspiration (tiling your bathroom?) even if you do not love piecing or blocks.


I also realized that I had not taken a photo of the entire Pineapple recently, if ever. Well, here it is in all of its glory PRE-border. Yes, I have decided to make that maniacal pieced border using the self-bordering technique. I am already lamenting my carefree-ness and all of that lost free time (HA! As if I ever had any). I am gearing up for the long piecing road ahead and the glory of it being finished.


Here, in the annotated picture, you can see blocks blocks 18 and 19, which still have three rows to go. I thought I would put them up there so they would feel like part of the crowd. Block 20 is in the machine and had a stand-in. See that Cross block? The poor block behind the sewing machine doesn’t get to shine at all. I’ll have to haul it out and take a photo of it.

*I adore City Arts and Lectures, but they claim not to record their lectures and you can’t get a copy, much less a transcript to save your life. I even know one of the directors who I begged to ask for a copy of the Wayne Thiebaud lecture. They wouldn’t even give him one. I know they are lying, because I have heard rebroadcasts of previous lectures. Ergh!

More Quick Bytes

The fabric from Quilt Expressions. St.JCN and I split an order and these are my pieces. They were fabrics which we saw in other colorways at the shops in Denver. We decided to fill out our collections with different colorways. I found some different whites as well.

Fabrics from Quilting Adventures. The three along the bottom right and the one right above the three (with the squares) look like Christmas fabrics to me in person, so I think I will make some gift bags out of them.

Two new Cross Blocks (Flowering Snowball). I finished one and started another in Denver and, then, finished it last night.

Now I have a total of 5 Cross Blocks (Flowering Snowball). I like the way the circle appears when you put the blocks together. I don’t know if I want these particular blocks together, but I am tempted to sew them together in sets of four as I make them. We’ll see after I make a few more.

Finally, these are the last two Pineapple scrap babies. I don’t have anymore scraps and I am almost all done with the blocks I need for a quilt. These are also blocks #18 & 19. Numbers 17 and 20 are in process as well. I feel sad that I am almost finished with the blocks. I am tempted to do a Pineapple border as well. Wasn’t I waxing nostalgic about getting these blocks done and moving on to something else recently? We’ll see.

Relief (Sharon’s Quilt)

Finally, I feel some relief. I have finished the top and back to Sharon’s quilt and it is ready to go to the quilter. As I mentioned, I didn’t feel a sense of euphoria or relief after finishing the Nosegay, but I do feel some of that relief now.


Top: with the border on, it is a little too big for my design wall (what else is new with my work these days?)


Detail of front: this is the label. There was one last pink bordered square that I needed to make the piece complete, so I turned it into a label/wish for happiness for the happy couple.


Back


Detail of back. The pink is a map of Paris and the white and black border has French words on it.


Blurry detail of a batik fabric that I used for the border, then decided I really liked. If you have any, I want more. 😉

I looked at my UFO list and it looks like most of the large outstanding projects are out of the way, except the Spiderweb, which is probably next on the list. There are a number of smaller projects, which are more arty that I will have to get back to eventually.

At the moment, the design wall is blessedly empty. Now I feel like I have some brain space and can work on something I don’t feel is hanging over my head. I guess I need to try to finish projects before they get so old that they start shouting at me. I will put the pineapple blocks and the Cross Blocks back up and see what happens with a new project.

Quilts will be Quilted

Finally, the indecision is over and I will be taking the quilts, Feelin’ Blue, Too and The Eye of God to be quilted tomorrow.

Eye of God Top
Eye of God Top

I need to figure out how to quilt them as well. I have some ideas, which I have not drawn out, but should. I also can’t decide whether or not to have them heavily quilted. They are the squarest quilts I’ve made, but are still a bit off. Having them heavily quilted will make them hang better. Still, I am not sure the design requires it.

I was promised that they would be back by August 15th. Assuming that date, I looked at the calendar and that gives me two full weeks to get them bound and sleeved. Though enough time, I will be a lot better off if I get the sleeves and binding ready in advance. I’ll find out the timing for sure tomorrow. And for better or for worse, that is the plan.

I took the measurements today and found the last bits of purple fabric for The Eye of God, so, theoretically, I should have no problem making the sleeves and the binding before the quilts come back. I MUST work on this project every night so I am not ripping my hair out at the last second. I probably will be, though, as I always do. I swear not to, but it never works and it is something I need to work on. I have lots of other issues to work through, however, but I’ll put this one on my list.

I was reading in Robbi Joy’s new book, Free Expression: the art and confessions of a contemporary quilter (BTW, the website is a little unwieldy, but you can find the book on page 5 of the book area), and she has a different technique for creating sleeves. She makes the sleeve doubled and then does some kind of folding trick which prevents the hanging rod from bulging out. I do that, too, but not in such a sophisticated manner. I like the idea of making a doublesided sleeve. Even if I can’t figure out her technique, I can use the doublesided sleeve regardless.

I will have to review before I try it. IF I try it. We will see.