Simple Pleasures, Holy Treasures

Tangled Worship Flags

2011-05-01T20:02:00.004-05:00

Okay, the girls had their surprise today at church so I can show these now. They were very excited to receive these flags made just for them from words they chose after the Furious Love Event. I challenged them to each pick one word that would describe something they received from the Lord at the Event and that they would also like to give to others. Marissa chose Love, and Alyssa chose Health. The girls are both 11 yrs. old and love to worship Jesus.
The flags are on white silkessence fabric with a metallic fabric on the side. The lettering was designed on the computer then transferred to the fabric using a black Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric. The drawing was just made up as I went along. The colors were added using Fabrico Dual Brush tip markers. Those need heat set with an iron. The black Pentel doesn't. Neither bleed much at all into the fabric.

The girls during worship. Marissa is my granddaughter, but so is Alyssa. I call them 'twins by different mothers' so Alyssa calls me grandma. Sounds fair to me! They are both wonderful young ladies!

Tangled Fabric Sampler

2011-04-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

I've been working some on fabric with a few different brands of markers and thought it might be good to do a little sampler and post it here. It's pretty self-explanatory. Four different fabric samples showing the effects of the different markers in black: Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric (my favorite, but it does get used up fast - buy extra!); Pigma Brush Marker, labeled Graphic 1; and Sharpie. And for the colors: Marvy Fashion Fabric; Fabrico Dual Brush (my favorite for color); and Fabrico Brush in black.

All of them worked fairly well on the cotton sateen. On the silk and silkessence the Pigma Gel Roller for black combined with the Fabrico Dual Markers for the color seemed to be the best combination.

The Gel Rollers and the brush tipped markers work well on fabric: the harder tips like on the Sharpies and the Pigma Micron .01 black commonly used for zentangle do not work well on the fabric. They make it pull too much instead of gliding across the surface.

Of course, an alternative is always to do the drawing on paper, scan or photograph it, then print it on fabric with a good ink jet print printer that uses an archival ink such as DuraBrite or the K3 Ultrachrome inks in some Epson printers.

Just wanted to share some thoughts on this.

Challenge 19: Light on Dark

2011-04-27T21:21:00.002-05:00

For Challenge 19 on the Diva's site (see sidebar), More Morris (light on dark).
We're only allowed to enter 2 images now and I did 3 I really liked (and a few I really didn't...) so this is my 'cheater' way to enter all 3. It is still just 2 images to upload!
And I didn't have a good white gel marker so I used black but also gold and silver markers for the light effects. The markers are Pentel Sunburst Metallic Gel, gold and silver. I like them a lot and they are permanent and archival. They are very smooth to write with and covered the black very nicely. The top drawing was black and gold over a watercolor wash.
I really enjoyed this particular challenge. I love light on dark effects.

Challenge 18: Easter Eggs (and ATCs)

2011-04-22T22:09:00.001-05:00

Challenge 18 for the Diva (see sidebar) is Egg. So here are my Easter eggs.

ATCs for the ZIA Forum May swaps. (not the eggs - I just photographed them all together.)
They have to go out early next week to be there by May 1st.

Tangled Gourds and a Teaser Photo

2011-04-20T21:10:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted or been online in the world of Tangles for a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything (for once!). In this case, it means I've been too busy cranking out drawings to do anything online. But here are a few show-and-tells. There were 8 gourds in all, but I forgot to photograph them before I sent one to it's new home.
They are made as wren houses with a 1" hole, and it's almost time for the wrens to come back - so I decided to just do a tangling blitz and just get them done. I had a ton of seeds from inside them that are mostly now on my compost pile - so maybe I'll have a ton of new plants for next year! (These are saved large enough to see details if you click on the photo to make it full sized.)

They were fun, but I'm glad they're done and ready to go. My husband sprayed an outdoor clear spray on them and the marker I used had a wide tip, but it was a garden marker so made for outdoor usage. I hope to hang mine under some kind of awning or covering so it will not be quite as exposed to weather - but I do hope birds use them (not wasps!). There are 2 very small holes drilled in the bottom of each one in case rain gets in them.

And...two teaser photos of something else I'm working on but can't post yet because they are a surprise for someone. After the recipient sees them I will post full photos and more details. But it's been lots of fun - I am very pleased with the technique and results - and there will be more play with these things in the future for me. Another week or so and they will be delivered. Actually the one below is the 'failed' attempt, a third version followed but I don't have any photos yet at all from that one yet. The failed one will be used for something else.

A Little More Mooka

2011-04-06T12:55:00.003-05:00

In the ZIA Forum a new swap is going to be "Home is where the Art Is" - so the goal is local imagery for each participant. More focused than I've been working and true Zentangle Inspired Art instead of just patterns and designs in a random, pleasing form. So I looked through some of my local photos and decided to try a bluebird. This is the result. I didn't much like it at first, but it's grown on me and now I like it better. But random patterns and designs are more fun to draw than this was. And at 5x6" this is too big for the swap. Those are to be ATC size. This one is really done in the zentangle style. Just random fun with one little mooka added to the mix.

Mookabulary

2011-04-06T09:58:00.005-05:00

Okay, I can't stand it any more. I've been seeing such entertaining uses of the name Mooka I had to gather some together. Everyone seems to be having as much fun with the name as the design itself. So here are some: Mookalicious....Mooktastic....Mookatabulous.....mookiness... Mooknificent. Mookolor, Mookallure. Mooka, singular... Mooki, plural. Mooka, noun. To Mooka, verb. Ex. "I mooda'd it." (Kit) Mucho Mooka, Mooka Meander, Mooka Madness, Mooka Magnificence, Master of Mooka, I know there are more - I gleaned these from everyone's blogs and comment sections. Thanks Rick and Maria for a great pattern and title.

Four Part Daisies

2011-04-05T06:48:00.002-05:00

I did this little drawing earlier in the week and like it a lot. So while I've been sitting around 'feeding a cold' (with lots of cookies!) I decided to do it as a larger 4 part drawing, which I am also quite happy with. My intention for this one, at some point, is to get a better photo of each section (without the odd color cast), print it on fabric, and make it into a small art quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. I've started their $1000 Promise and am at $160 so far, but I need to get a few more sent in soon. The color cast was from photographing the drawing under 2 different lights - one was my craft sewing light which is supposed to be a daylight cast, the other was a standard flourescent overhead tube. The sewing light gave it the reddish cast on the left, the flourescent gives it the blue cast on the right. I usually prefer the blue if I have to have one, but really don't want both in this uneven cast.

Mid Week Challenge: VersaTea

2011-04-05T06:42:00.002-05:00

Catching up on a past challenge: here is another one practicing Versa by Laura Harms. This one turned out better than the first one. It reminded me of a teapot, hence the name: VersaTea.

Challenge 16: Mooka Fun

2011-04-04T20:51:00.004-05:00

Lovin' that Mooka. It has such a lovely flow to it. Here are 2 offerings for the Diva's Weekly Challenge (see sidebar for link). The first was done on a watercolored board with an 01 Micron brush tip with a little more watercolor added after the drawing was done. The second was done with a normal tip on white paper then toned with a very light wash of Payne's gray. The Payne's Gray was an odd thing to work with. I dug out some old tubes of watercolor, both labeled Payne's Gray but 2 different brands. One had a very distinctive blue color - NOT what I was expecting (it was also the more expensive brand). The other was the neutral gray that complemented the black inks very well. Why the 2 brands should vary that extremely in color is beyond me. But I do like the watercolor shading much better than pencil and it doesn't smear like the pencil does. I use a small points on the brushes, lots of water for light washes, a tissue to get some of the excess water off the tip before it touches the paper, and a light touch.

Challenge 15: Lotsa Curves

2011-03-30T21:10:00.002-05:00

Challenge 15 from the Diva (see sidebar) is to use only curves. Lotsa fun for me - that's my favorite way to draw these things. So here are a few. Not much else to say about them.

Zentangles Meet Kaleider

2011-03-29T20:59:00.005-05:00

These are computer generated images from my original drawings. My husband, knowing how much I love messing with Kaleider and my photographs, had the brilliant thought that I should try some of my recent drawings in that software. What fun! I had to share a few. The first 2 are done from the "Spring Peepers" drawing in the previous post.

This one was from "Morning Sun". It has wonderful possibilities but I need to get a higher resolution image to work from than the one I used here. And this one was from one of the nicer B&W drawings from a few weeks ago. I had been trying to do some tangled crosses as drawings, but this way works well too. And is so easy! Another thing would be to look closely at the generated images and find new pattern possibilities. The patterns I posted recently were all from doing that with some other kaleidoscope images I had done some time ago from nature photos. Lots of fun - lots of possibilities. Not enough time... Kaleider can be used as a free 30 day trial, then it's between $30 and $40 to purchase or it doesn't work any more.

Mid-Week Challenge: Versa

2011-03-26T12:37:00.002-05:00

The little frogs in the woods are sometimes called 'spring peepers', and they are out chirping away now. I always enjoy them but rarely actually see them. When I did this for the mid-week challenge by the Diva (see sidebar) it reminded me of the spring peepers in the woods.
I really think I missed the mark on Versa and need to try it again. Mine doesn't look right - everything is too even. I think I have another one around somewhere that is right. When I find it I'll post it too. Or just draw another one...

2011-03-23T13:36:00.002-05:00

ATCs for some of the swaps going on at the ZIA Forum on Yahoo. I just joined recently and have never participated in a swap before so we'll see how it goes. These are sent in just in time for the deadline of March 28. Well, one of them, I think the Brown-Turqoise, is mid-April but it was done so I sent it too.

I found I like the ATC size quite well. I had a lot of 2 ply 100%rag matte board left from several years ago. It has been great to watercolor and tangle on and is archival. And stiff enough to make a good ATC. A nice way to use up leftovers. I also had clear ATC envelopes left from my photography days.

Come on over and join the fun!

Challenge 14: I Walk the Line

2011-03-23T13:05:00.003-05:00

For the Diva's (see sidebar) Challenge 14: "I Walk the Line". No curved lines allowed - straight only, even if they give the illusion of curves. This one, while not a favorite, was okay. I like my results better than last weeks 'non dominant hand' challenge. But I'll be more happy to return to curved lines again, along with most of the other participants.

Tangle Pattern: Linked Hearts

2011-03-22T18:48:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is the last one for a while. I'm caught up with the patterns that are developed enough to share. I haven't really used this one yet either. I hope to see lots of variations on this - it has possibilities.

Guess I need to quit posting new stuff and get back to doing some drawing!

Tangle Pattern: Spires

2011-03-22T18:40:00.004-05:00

In the square format it looks fine. I tend to use it to fill those odd triangular spaces that show up regularly. In a triangular format I add lots of details, otherwise it reminds me too much of men's underwear. Just sayin'... (see above photo to be convinced). The photo below shows Spires in use with lots of embellishments. This drawing also has Double Diamonds, Flames, Threaded, and one that I haven't named or officially posted yet. Looks a bit like another flame or maybe a necktie and is to the right of Spires.

Tangle Pattern: Fancy Flight

2011-03-22T18:34:00.003-05:00

Same as Pendant: I designed it but haven't used it in a drawing yet. I'm a bit lazy in choosing patterns to use. If they're not really simple I tend to avoid them. This one I'll have to practice with a bit more to really get comfortable with it. It's hard for me to keep the shapes as consistent as I'd like. But I do think I will like it a lot as I get more used to drawing it. To me it has kind of an aboriginal look.

Tangle Pattern: Pendant

2011-03-22T18:30:00.002-05:00

I designed this one but still haven't used it in a design. Somebody use it and send me a link so I can see how it looks in use. :)

Or maybe I'll have to. Anything could be substituted for the little ball in the center, and the dangling shape could be altered too.

Tangle Pattern: Threaded

2011-03-22T18:25:00.002-05:00

Making the center rope more angular so it really looks stretched is interesting too. Also to add the rope texture to the top and bottom bands, or maybe a metallic shine.

If anyone knows of a very similar pattern or that this name is already being used, please leave a comment about it and where I might find it so I can look into it. I'm still really new at this stuff and not familiar with all the patterns already out there.

Tangle Pattern: Flames

2011-03-22T18:16:00.003-05:00

I have used Flames a few times now and enjoy it. There are plenty of possibilities for variations too, which is always a good thing.

On any of my patterns, if anyone knows the name I chose is already in use or the pattern is too similar to another one already out there I hope you'll comment on it so I can check into it.

Tangle Pattern: Underwing

2011-03-21T13:16:00.002-05:00

I am really enjoying this pattern. I named it Underwing for the beautiful night moths I used to see when I was young and seem so scarce now.
Underwing is used on the lower left side. Double Diamonds is in the lower right.
I've been having fun doing drawings that use some of my new patterns. The new patterns are taken and adapted from little details in a series of kaleidoscope images I created a while back using Kaleider software and some of my own nature photos.

Tangle Pattern: Double Diamonds

2011-03-21T13:12:00.003-05:00

Double Diamonds is shown in the lower middle left side, along with Flames, Spires, and Threaded.
It seems I forgot to document the steps. But here is the basic unit plus some variations.

Tangle Pattern: Yakity Yak

2011-03-21T13:06:00.002-05:00

Another new pattern: Yakity Yak. When I first started it I thought it looked like 2 mouths yakking, hence the name. I usually do the variation, not the one in the box. The steps are about the same except I draw the zigzag line first, then the 2 lower petals attached to it. This is a pretty versatile pattern for shading options.

Tangle Pattern: Cowrie

2011-03-21T12:56:00.003-05:00

I've been working on some new patterns. Here is 'Cowrie', which reminds me of cowrie shells by the ocean.
Cowrie can be found in this one in the bottom right corner. There are a few other new patterns in this one too, Double Diamonds, Flames, Underwing, Yakity Yak, Spires, and an unnamed one. More posts to come on those.

Tangle: Shades of Gray

2011-03-17T07:43:00.004-05:00

Looks like there is a shamrock in there so Happy St. Patrick's Day.

This one was done for my own personal challenge: Shades of Gray. The photo doesn't capture it very well but it came out looking like a pencil drawing. Very gray, very delicate, none of the strong areas of black I usually use. I've tried 3 of these but the other 2 weren't successful for this so I added some black to them. I enjoyed this theme so I will be doing more of these. This one is 6x6 and done with a .005 micron Sakura black pen. The very thin point and tight lined patterns helped with the overall gray look.

I'm also going to work at getting better photos!

More Tangles in Color

2011-03-14T21:22:00.004-05:00

I think with these I have colored tangles out of my system for a while. They were fun but I'm ready to go back to black and white for a bit. Actually gray: my own personal challenge for the next few is to do 'shades of gray'. No stark blacks or large white spaces. Just gray.

The top one may get a little white added. It seems dark and dull in the center. It is ink on watercolor paper, then the drawing added when dry.

This one is done with black ink over washes of gold Lumiere acrylic paint with some teal ink added in. I just put it on moist hot pressed watercolor paper, tipped it, and let it run. The hot press watercolor paper is wonderful for ink drawings. Very smooth white surface and a nice thickness to the paper. I'd like to find it in a watercolor block.

This one is my favorite of the three. I'm very happy with the overall design and the colors. These are inks on cold pressed watercolor paper with black ink on it after it all dried. The watercolor papers are nice to work on, especially when they are on a watercolor block for stability. These are all about 6 x 8 inches. A comfortable size for me. I bought some of the official zentangle tiles, but so far I haven't used many. Too small and I like the watercolor paper better. It's brighter white and less fuzzy.

Challenge 13: Non-Dominant

2011-03-14T12:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm a team player. I did one. That's it for this challenge. I am SO not left-handed. My cheats were to use a larger paper and the 01 micron brush tipped Sakura pen. It helped. 'Nuff said.

A Tangled Sermon: Glory (Grace!) Studies

2011-03-11T12:00:00.006-05:00

Something Blue for Laura Harms weekly challenge (see sidebar). This is the second in my effort to 'tangle' the sermon from last Sunday. (easy to do some Sundays with my non-theological background! - Oh, I mean the drawing style when I say 'tangled')

One of the things mentioned was glory being poured out, overflowing from God. The first drawing was the one below, black and white with the word Glory (Grace!!) very large and 'stuff' flowing into and from the word. There are layers representing the universe, sky, earth, and other things. I was not crazy about it, except that it was okay for a first try. I'll probably use it for a practice piece and go back into it with some color.

The blue one is my second effort. Unfortunately, out of the 4 other people who saw it so far, each one has seen 'jellyfish' not glory poured out. Maybe it's all that ocean blue :) So...back to the drawing board. I put the word 'glory' (grace!!) in but in a much more subtle way and it has become part of the design in a better way. I also was able to experiment with white and gold lines added in later with opaque acrylic white ink and gold Lumiere acrylic paint. I used a fine pointed brush for the gold and a pen for the white ink. I think it is successful as a study, but not as a finished art work. I'm going to try this one again using a gold wash for the background instead of the jellyfish blue. I guess I'll get rid of that strong black arch at the top, too.

Added later: I see I should read my own writing on these drawing. The sermon was about Grace being poured out, not Glory and the word is I used is GRACE, not Glory. Duh...

Challenge 12: Something Blue

2011-03-08T19:45:00.003-05:00

Challenge 12 by the Dive, Laura Harms, is 'Something Blue', create a normal tangle but add the color blue somehow and in any amount. I toned the background blue with watercolor, used a black Micron pen for the designs, then added Liquitex Acrylic Titanium White ink with a fine pointed pen. I am still experimentint with ways to add white. So far I'm not too happy with anything I've tried (white colored pencil, chalk, iridescent white ink, gesso, acrylic paint with a fine brush). I guess this ink is the best so far. The top one doesn't have any white ink on it - just lighter and darker blue. The color in the bottom one is more accurate.

Swan Lake Tangle

2011-03-04T19:15:00.005-05:00

This one somehow turned into a swan. It was quite a surprise, but I like it when this happens. All I added to enhance the look was the beak and the water. I think at some point I will print this one on fabric and quilt it. It should make a nice little wall hanging. Maybe even a nice note card.

Yesterday I played for a few hours with some of my past photographic kaleidoscopes looking for patterns that could be simplified and adapted to these drawings. I have a few interesting prospects. Now to see which ones are easy and enjoyable to draw in repetition.

Tangle Pattern: Mouse Ears

2011-03-03T08:36:00.004-05:00

Well, I think this is my design: somebody correct me if there is already one out there like this, please.

Gourds, Moths, and Rope Tangles

2011-03-02T07:46:00.008-05:00

These are hanging in my studio, totally dry now and ready to be processed and decorated or made into birdhouses. I think at least a couple of them are calling out to be tangled...I've seen a few beautifully finished gourds covered with zentangle patterns. The birds won't mind... Here is a link to Suzanne McNeil's video on a tangled gourd. Nice. A gorgeous gourd by Barb Wolters and displayed on the official Zentangle site. And one from Terry Stegmiller here. And then the wild and crazy Thunder Gourd by Ozzy. Gotta try me one of these! Some are done with pen and some are wood burned.
This one wanted to be a funky moth so I let it.

A larger piece just playing with ropes and ribbons. It is about 8 inches square and on a sheet of Bristol vellum - a truly smooth, bright white, and wonderful surface for tangles. It was fun doing a larger piece for once. I was able to be more free and open with it. I also often use a 6x6 drawing pad with a nice heavyweight paper for my drawings. It works well also and has a good surface for the ink tangles. Both erase well with a very soft white eraser.

Monotangles: Challenge 11

2011-03-01T10:02:00.008-05:00

For the Diva's Challenge 11: Monotangles
I have to look up the names to these 2 tangles, above and below, I forgot to write down the names. Got to get better on that. If anyone knows the names I'd be happy to have them added as a comment. (added later: Joni said the top one is "Betweed" and the bottom possibly "Florez" I wonder about that bottom one still though - the Florez I looked at was more stylized than this one. But maybe. Any more suggestions for it? I REALLY need to write down the pattern names!! Later still: I think the pattern below is a variation of Buttercup which is in the Totally Tangled book. )I was very happy to have this as a theme. I'm so new to tangles that there are thing I see that other artists are doing but I haven't tried yet. Using one pattern for the whole design was on my list to try. I felt a little intimidated by it at first but love it now. I'll be doing more of these.

More Space Between Challenge Pieces

2011-02-25T19:15:00.006-05:00

Having done art quilts and other things for several years, I hadn't given a thought to white (negative) space for quite some time. When the Diva assigned this as the weekly challenge I thought, "Oh yea - white space. Guess I need to brush up on that concept". So here are 4 more.

This first one is my favorite and has become a small study for a larger piece (not yet started). The title will be 'Day 4: Creation of the Sun and the Moon'.

I'm not too crazy about this one - but it was a good practice piece for patterns and white space.

Tangled Bonsai, but also a study for 'Rushing Waters'.

More rushing water and spaces with flowers. The strong black shape reminded me of old tires in the local woods with trees and shrubs growing up through them - so - 'Life Finds a Way'.

Quilting and Tangles

2011-02-25T16:02:00.005-05:00

I took one of the previous fabric tangles and put it into a pieced crazy quilt, then did more drawing out over some of the lighter printed patches. It was a little harder to draw on but an interesting experiment. From here it could be quilted with tangled patterns or stippled. It could also have embroidered patterns added in tangle patterns. Not sure how I'll finish it yet. Maybe a combination - this is meant to be an experimental test piece, not finished fine art.
This one turned out better. It has just a simple string pattern that continues the design from the center. Then quilted stippling around it to shade and flatten. The border isn't sewn on yet but that is the color I will use. I like this one a lot better than the first one.
So my first 2 fabric experiments are coming along nicely. The second one will be finished to send to AAQI as a donated art piece for their organization. (I have 3 small pieces in their March auction starting March 1st. Anyone need one of my pieces? Now is your chance - and for a great cause.)

Spaces - Challenge 10 "Yorick"

2011-02-22T19:14:00.007-05:00

This was SO not what I planned, but once I saw what I had drawn I couldn't see anything else, even turning it different directions. And it is not my normal subject matter either. But it amuses me and he is such a happy little fellow. However he does look like he's been hanging around the garden too long.

This is for the Diva's Weekly Challenge (see sidebar) and is the theme of spaces. He has lots of empty spaces. I guess I'd have to title him "My Happy Little Accident".

Ixorus - Challenge 8

2011-02-20T19:11:00.004-05:00

The last catch-up piece for The Diva's Weekly Challenge. A heart plus 2 other of the previous seven challenge designs: I used 'Ixorus', the 6 sided shape and a 2 pencil string.

More Doodles for the Diva

2011-02-20T08:04:00.008-05:00

I'm still catching up on the Challenges for the Diva's Weekly Challenge (see sidebar). This one was for week 7 - the theme was 'Breathe'. I am very happy with this one. It is so light and airy.

All of these are on paper, not fabric, and 3 of them have some pencil shading on them. More on the paper versus fabric issue in a later post.
A design called "Ixorus" was the theme for week 6. It's the 6 sided shape in the center with 'wings' coming off the center lines. It was fun to work with.
There are 3 in there. Can you find them?
This one was going to be 'Breathe' but then I liked the other one better for that theme. So this one became the entry for 'Simplicity', Week 1. I think it works for this theme because of the repetition of shapes and lack of elaborate background that I have in most of the other pieces.
Week 5 was themed "Orbs". I got a bit more playful on this one and my orbs became an underwater scene with 2 fish. Find them? I enjoyed doing this one.
I have one left to scan and post: Week 8, which uses 2 of the previous themes combined with a heart. I finished it last night but don't have it ready to put online yet. Later today probably.
These drawings have been very satisfying and are filling a big gap in art for me. I used to do lots of drawing and painting, but hadn't for several years. It's been very good to do some again.
Then I need to get back to the quilting studio again! I have a large art quilt in progress and also hope to start doing the other 2 challenges in my sidebar: the Color Palette challenge and the Journal Quilt challenge. So far I haven't done anything for these. But I won't try to catch up on those: I'll just start wherever they are now. But doing the smaller pieces are great for experimenting and working quicker and looser. They would also be good to send in for AAQI donations! I'll probably use some of the zentangles for small art quilts to send in to them, also.

Zentangle or Doodling

2011-02-18T10:04:00.008-05:00

Challenge #9 - Artoo. A growing leaf shape named for the Diva's new baby. My photos got all mixed up and I don't have time to re-do them. And I always have trouble getting photos moved where they belong in blogger. So read below about this challenge.
Not part of the challenge - just practice with new fill designs.

Ditto on this one. Now we're back to the original post which makes much more sense - I hope!

Thanks to Terri Stegmiller I have now re-discovered 'zentangle' or in old-fashioned vernacular: black and white ink drawings, or doodling.( The 'Zentangle' name is a registered name by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts.) So I've been playing around with it some this week while I sit around in the evenings. All of these are done with a 1 micron Sakura archival brush nib pen. They are on cotton sateen fabric ironed onto freezer paper. The craft freezer paper holds them better for the drawing better than the grocery freezer paper. The colored ones are drawn over some hand dyed cotton sateen scraps from a few years ago. This one isn't part of a challenge, but it's probably my favorite and a little larger than the others. Most are about 3 1/2 inches for the design. The brush marker works good on fabric (better than the normal nib, but the lines are thicker so shading is tougher.)
These last 3 and the first one on top are my beginning pieces for The Diva's Weekly (zentangle) Challenge - see sidebar for link. She assigns a theme each week. I am behind by 9 weeks, so for my own satisfaction and to practice I'm working through them. The only one I can actually post to her site is # 9 on top. That one is the current challenge due by this Saturday.

Challenge #4 - Starry Eyed Surprise. Use a star somewhere.

Challenge #3 - Eyes Wide Shut. Draw a single line with eyes closed and design around it.

Challenge #2 - 2 Pencil String. Hold 2 pencils together and draw a double line as the basis for the design.

Now to catch up on the rest.

Done! Two Fabric Kaleidoscopes

2011-02-10T07:11:00.003-05:00

After 1 1/2 years of having the centers completely finished I finally completed the rest of the 2 pieces. Yay! It feels great having them done and I am very pleased with them.

I used EQ7 to design the outer parts and the borders - a good opportunity to practice with EQ7. And the blocks and borders were done with foundation (paper) piecing - also a pretty new experience for me. I like most things about that, too. But I did have some trouble matching up the sewn parts and had to rip seams and re-sew a few times. But the overall result is much more precise than my normal piecing.

Bob likes the blue one best - I prefer the green and red one. It has more punch to it - that graduated red fabric really makes the piece. I think on the blue one I got a little too elaborate with the outer blocks and it detracts from the center medallion. But that's just me - I still am very happy with it.

I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. They represent a LOT of time. If I don't do any more I'll probably keep these - if I do more, I may find a home for them elsewhere. But I do have plenty of beautiful kaleidoscope designs to choose from if I decide to make more. A few of them are even printed on fabric waiting.

Paper Piecing and Gel Pens for Fabric

2011-01-29T16:58:00.003-05:00

The Twisted Sisters living up to their name on a cold, snowy winter day.
Last week, Quilt or Dye mentioned Pentel Gel Rollers for fabric in her Friday Favorites post and had a link to Terri Stegmiller's article about them. They sounded interesting so I went to Hobby Lobby and found some. They are very nice to work with - went onto the fabric more easily than the other pens I've used. I'll be playing with them more.

And since I can print out foundation patterns for paper piecing so easily on EQ now, and since my traditional piecing skills are so mediocre I decided to try paper piecing the same design I had done in traditional piecing. I may become hooked on paper piecing - it sure turned out better. It did take a while, but so did cutting out all those little templates for the other one. And it 'wastes' more fabric, but if I do much ragged edge applique I can save the scraps and use them that way. Win-win.

Kaleidoscopes and Spirals

2011-01-24T08:21:00.003-05:00

I've been working on the Snowflake Kaleidoscope piece. I finally got a workable design in EQ7 for the pieced corners, cut my templates and started the piecing. But my piecing skills are mediocre. I'll finish these then maybe try it again using a foundation pattern instead. I can sew on the lines, I think! But it's nice to be making some headway on this finally. It's been over a year since I got the snowflake center finished.

Close-up detail from the picture below of a ragged edge applique design. I used metallic thread for the quilting then couching to add the light blue metallic cord on top.

The almost finished spiral. I still want to add some beading for some dimension and to make some focal points and added interest. It isn't bound, but has a partial backing sewn on the front then turned to the back and hemmed. This piece has been a lot of fun to do. All the little pieces are glued on with white glue then stitched down during the quilting process. I love working this way. I bought Susan Carlson's book, Serendipity Quilts, and have been getting tips from her on this process. One of her project ideas is a simple spiral like this.

EQ7 Practice

2011-01-13T13:37:00.004-05:00

I've been spending some time working with EQ7 software (a wonderful quilt design program). Here are some recent designs using some of the new features. I probably won't actually sew any of these but the design part is fun. The square patches above were designed using the kaleidoscope feature that is new to this version. FUN!!!
Below is an earlier of the above quilt.

This one was designed with the idea of adding a center snowflake kaleidoscope image that appeared in the earlier post. So far I have NOT mastered putting photos where I want them in the design or making them 'on point' - hence the empty center square. I may have to call the company on this one to get some help. I haven't found what I'm looking for in the very thorough manual or the instructional videos - but maybe I'm just missing or misunderstanding it.

I'm playing around with the idea of doing a few table runners this year. These I might actually sew - just maybe not this particular one.

This one features batiks - the primary fabrics in my stash. I love batiks to the point that it's difficult for me to buy anything else. But I like hand-dyed also. I just haven't dyed lately. :)

I've also started work on a new art piece, but am just barely into the planning stage so far.

Keyboard

2010-12-30T14:39:00.003-05:00

The keyboard cover is finished and quilted. All that remains is to hem the edges and insert the elastic that will go around the edges. Then on to it's new home.
I did the snowflake kaleidoscope almost a year ago and never was sure how to finish it. The other day I noticed this unfinished block and put the center piece over it just to see what it looked like. I like it and it opened up a whole bunch of new possibilities for using the kaleidoscope images I made. This block is too big for the finished size I want, but now I can use my brand new EQ7 upgrade to design something similar in the correct size.

An 'idea' bulletin board in the studio. I just bought 4 more cork tiles to finish off the top. It is very useful for posting things I might want to think about. I like to be surrounded with possibilities.

Most of the wall is flannel covered to function as a design wall. It is wonderful to have such a large space to work on. And still a cat-free zone. Last night the cats got into one of my display areas in the house and pulled all the pins out that were holding pictures up. Little brat-cats.

A new piece of fabric from Hancock Fabrics. It is all feathers. I am going to have fun with this one. It will eventually be another puzzle quilt from Paula Nadelstern's book.

Keyboard Progress

2010-11-27T19:35:00.004-05:00

I've been working on Faith's keyboard cover. It's coming along fairly well. The top is pieced and now on to the sides. I think I'm going to just add strips of fabric drawn together with either elastic or cord to make it wrap around the sides. I also plan to use it as a practice piece for quilting. I'll probably use some gold thread especially around the borders to bring the colors together more.
This is a little practice piece based on the book "Serendipity Quilts" by Susan Carlson. Being such a fan of ragged edge quilting I had to buy the book and try it out. Still too early to give results on my use of it, but I do enjoy the book. It has lots of helpful information in it. So far this piece is just glued together - no sewing yet.

Lettuce growing in my little studio garden. So far, so good.

And my big puppy still adjusting to studio time of his own. He missed the dog bed a lot at first, but now with the help of his own can of treats nearby is settling in better and actually landing ON the dog bed, not by it.

I feel so spoiled!

2010-11-16T20:17:00.004-05:00

Ready, Set, Go! I really am feeling totally spoiled by this. Bob has worked so hard building this room for me and getting it all ready. And he's been very gracious about it all. I could take a lesson...

Today I worked out there for a couple of hours starting my first project - a keyboard cover for my granddaughter Faith's keyboard. I promised it to her about 6 months ago. I have flannel ordered to put on the wall, but it isn't here yet so I'm still using the little portable design area.

I also planted some winter lettuce in a self-watering container (the grey rectangular thing on the back of the table) under a plant light. Hopefully it will grow well and give us some fresh, homegrown lettuce this winter.

I am pretty well moved in and ready to start playing again. The sewing machine, miniDVD player, and stereo are all hooked up. I can also bring the laptop out and use it.
This is the main sewing area. Note the birdhouse gourds and the amaryllis pots under the table. It's a multi-purpose room, I guess. I'll hang the gourds on hooks from the rafter.

The cutting table and iron. The wood frames on the wall are for stretching and painting flags for church. Another thing I'd like to do again.

Today my darling husband made this little rolling work table. It should be very handy to have.
The cabinet has my home canned goods in it. A good storage place - dark and cool.

A shelving unit (and portable commode) in the corner. I still have a lot of work to do with the mess on that countertop. And in the spring that horrible green is going to be repainted. That is from several years ago - part of the original 6x12 room. Dusky blue, I think.

Studio photos - in progress

2010-11-14T16:30:00.003-05:00

We're still working on the new garage studio. This mess is still there, but with 4 new shelves I think I can get rid of most of it. They are up and waiting to be loaded.
This corner is arranged now, not like in the photo. It has a bookcase, 2 tables put together to make about a 4 foot square area for cutting fabric and ironing small things. I'll also have one long plant container of winter lettuce under the light to see if it grows.
The sewing machine is up and ready to go as soon as I get a bit more of the mess put away. I am so ready to sew again. My first little project will be a quilted keyboard cover for my granddaughter. She's already picked out the fabric.

Getting Ready to Sew Again

2010-10-25T18:43:00.005-05:00

My husband/handyman when he was beginning work on my new workspace in the back of the garage. Now it's almost finished: walls painted, lights hung, carpeting almost finished - and it's heated too. Ready to start putting in work tables and rearranging the big mess called 'my sewing supplies'. For months I've looked at the mess, then looked away. Now it's time to tackle it and begin to sew again.

The cats really did cramp my style. They get into everything. I even have to keep every pin out of their sight or they run off with them. Now I'll have a cat-free sewing space. Just me and the dog - and maybe Bob should he decide to visit. I could also paint or work on banners. I have a very large empty wall for larger projects. The floor space is about 13x14. Not huge, but much larger than I had. And I can still keep my space in the house for some things - maybe a drawing area.
So maybe soon I'll be posting some more interesting photos. I'm looking forward to a fresh start.

Excuses, excuses

2009-12-27T18:30:00.005-05:00

This is Cosmo. She is one of my most recent excuses for not sewing much, especially by hand. She is one of the Twisted Sisters. (See photo below). Actually, although she does insist on sitting right on my chest while I sew, read, drink coffee, or watch TV, she doesn't bother the thread or needle too much - just occassionally. She is very sweet and purrs very loudly.

These are the Twisted Sisters. You can see why. Oh, that's right, it's not really because of the way their sleep. It's their warped view of how things should work in the house. They are absolutely, positively the most destructive and pesky kittens I've ever had. But I like them anyways. They are beginning to understand that when I sit at the sewing machine they are not allowed by me. Not to chase the thread, the needle, or the fabric. I also prefer that they don't step on the foot pedal while I'm working.

That being said, I have finished a couple of little projects lately. I saw an episode on The Quilting Show about crystals on kaleidoscopes. Boy, do I have kaleidoscopes. So I tried a few. Printed them on fabric, layered some batting underneath, did a combination of machine and hand sewing, even using a few crazy quilting stitches. Then added some hotfix rhinestones.

These will be matted and framed. They are both 4 inches.

I love the crystals added on here and there. They enhance the designs a lot. After buying the rhinestones I found a great deal at a local craft store on a bunch of swavorki hotfix crystals and bought them all but I haven't used any of those yet. I'll do a few more practice pieces first.

Some machine stitching, following the printed designs. The kaleidoscopes were created using Kaleider software and my own nature photography.

Some hand stitching with a silver metallic thread. This did not follow the printed design, but was added in to enhance the center. I'd plan to try some more and play with the crazy quilt stitches more - get a little more daring...

So that's what I've been doing. How about you?

Rethinking a Plan

2009-08-01T21:53:00.004-05:00

I've been wanting to get into a sewing project again so I pulled out all the kaleidoscope blocks that I spent hours tediously cutting out several months ago.

After looking at them, moving them around, even sewing a few together I made a discovery. Life is too short to spend sewing kaleidoscopes and I absolutely do not have the patience or precision for them.

Even though I love Paula Nadelstern's kaleidoscopes, I'll leave them to her and others to do. Just so I don't ever fiddle with these again I used the seam ripper to dismantle the few I sewed and cut them up into smaller pieces and other projects. So there!

Still gardening and beginning to get a harvest. These are some of the very first tomatoes for the year (and my entire potato harvest!).

And last, my baby in a field of flowers. A little neurotic at times, but definitely handsome, lovable and a good companion!

Kitten update

2009-07-22T17:14:00.002-05:00

NOT mommy! But Lucy is getting more comfortable with the kitten. Only with supervision, though.

I still have 3 of them. My granddaughters took one home. Yea! He is adjusting pretty well to them. Now if their 2 adult cats and one bulldog will just be nice to him!

The 3 I still have are going to just live here, I guess. Even the German Shepherd, Strider, is getting along fairly well with them. He still doesn't relax much with them but, hey, if I were in his paws maybe I wouldn't either. We named this beige one "Boo" because she likes to jump out at Strider with her legs and claws up in the air. She relentlessly loves him and won't leave him alone at all - ever! So, with him it is only supervised visits too. Good thing we have an enclosed porch to keep the kitties separate from the big, bad dogs.

Kittens and Gardens

2009-07-06T08:57:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted on this site for a while. Here is a photo of the raised beds now. It's a jungle out there! Tons of growing tomatoes, none ripe yet. I've harvested lettuce, chard, cabbages, broccoli, and a few other things. Lots to go, especially tomatoes!

And these 4 little guys are occupying a lot of my time right now. I found them 'dumped' in my mother's woods along the road. There were 5 - one died. The rest were sickly - ear mites, eye infections, worms, and upper respiratory infections and too young to eat alone. I had to bottle feed them for more than a week. After vet bills and lots of meds, they are doing much better. Two of them are ready for new homes and two are still being treated for eye problems but they should be healed up in another week or so. Tomorrow the free kitten sign goes up to find homes for the two that are ready. Anybody around Monroe, Michigan need a sweet kitty?

The kittens when I first got them.

You can see the eye problem in this little gray one. Aside from the one that died, his were the worst. In the top photo you can see how much improvement there has been. He is almost healed up. The calico one is such a sweetheart. She loves to just lay on my chest and play and purr. I, however, don't really want to keep any of them! I used to have cats and I love their nature - but I am enjoying a cat-free life. Dogs are enough right now.
So that's what I've been up to. Well, I did do a little EQ6 designing and that was fun. Now to hit the sewing machine and actually get something finished...

Fabric Birdhouses and Potato Bins

2009-05-06T07:43:00.004-05:00

This is how I've been spending most of my time lately - putting in raised beds for a vegetable garden. Yesterday Bob and I finally finished getting the soil in and they are ready to plant! Finally!!

I did a little sewing. A homemade potato bin to grow my few potatoes. Ha-ha. It seems like a far fall from quilting and art quilts. But it should be functional. The sides are rolled down but they could be raised up to about 36 inches as the potatoes grow. It's made from landscaping fabric and sewn with a couple of rows of polyester thread because I was afraid cotton would rot in the elements.

The birdhouse in place but not inhabited yet. It's hanging in our cherry tree in the front yard where I can see it. I really enjoy the bright colors in the yard. It's fun and cheerful.

My favorite plant find of the season. (but it's early, there could be other better ones!) I never saw a hardy orchid before, but here it is. Bletilla Striata, a small woodland orchid that also apparently comes in white or yellow. So I bought one for myself and one for my mother, who also love all things flowering.

And then, motivated by some other gardening artists, I did a little drawing of it before planting it outside. It turned out all right considering I haven't done any drawing for at least a couple of years. But, I tell you, drawing detail with bifocals is NOT any fun! Maybe that's why I stopped drawing!
So this can be an entry for the Creative Every Day challenge that I have so neglected.

Fabric Birdhouses

2009-04-12T16:54:00.003-05:00

Just for fun here are some experimental fabric birdhouses I've been working on this spring. I've been trying to make them strong and water repellant enough to last at least one season outside with the hope that wrens will move in. The colorful fabric is zigzagged crazy quilt style onto very heavy pellon interfacing then coated with clear acrylic matte finish paint inside and out. The bottom has 1/4 inch square dowel rod glued on to stabilize the bottom better. I think the top will be glued on but with a few stitches at the corners to make it more secure in case the glue fails in the weather. Don't want the babies to take a tumble!

My problem right now is that I wanted to use buttons and elastic cord to fasten the bottom so I could clean it out after one season, but that idea isn't working very well so far. Any suggestions? If I glue it or sew it I'll have to try to clean it out through the entry hole (which is about 1 1/4 inch). Probably not a good idea. And I still have to decide what to use for a hanger.
This is the square one. On this one I sewed clear tablecloth plastic on the roof to waterproof it and put the clear acrylic on the rest of it. This one is a little bigger because of it's square design, but still only about a 5 inch square. Nice and cozy - hope some little birdy likes it. I hope to put these near my new garden to encourage bug killing birdies to hang out.

A third birdhouse ended up with my granddaughters as a home for their webkinz cardinal. I didn't take a photo but it was the square one minus the top. I bent the four corners in and made them to fasten with buttons and loops. It also has a little cord handle on top. They like it.
What do you think about these?

Easter Greetings

2009-04-12T10:15:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter!

EcoQuilting and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2009-03-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

After following the link from Allison Aller's blog to Esther's Eco-Practical Crafting blog I remembered that I wanted to post links to some articles I read online recently about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I've never been particularly 'green', but I've never been against it either. I'm not much of a recycler, and I do throw away lots of stuff. But when I read these articles I have to say I was shocked right down to my core. I think we're ruining our home quickly. So, God bless anyone like Esther and so many others who are using their creativity to recycle things that would otherwise be wasted. I'm going to try to do much better!
Here are the links if you haven't already heard of this and you too want to be shocked:
Honolulu Magazine: Getting Trashed
The Great Garbage Patch org
Wikipedia: Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Treehugger.com
These are a starting point with lots more information out there for anyone interested.

March Madness

2009-03-19T19:07:00.004-05:00

This last month has been pretty busy - yardwork, flooding, taxes, grandkids, etc. No sewing. I started a new blog for gardening called 'Sow This, Sew That, So What!' Silly, but I've kept this one primarily for fabric and just didn't seem right to start posting lots of gardening stuff on it. But I have big plans for the yard and a new vegetable garden and wanted to write and share photos of it.
Amaryllis blooming on the ledge.
Spring floods - the worst for us since we've been here - 30 years. Our crawlspace was flooded to the point of water sloshing in the ductwork each time the furnace went on. Not a good thing, but no permanent damage. And under all the water in the back yard were our 2 ponds. I'm still wondering how many goldfish got liberated. I rescued 3 in a shallow area on our patio and have seen some in the pond since the water receded, but the ponds are too muddy from all the flooding to really get a good look at who's still there. Hopefully some left though because there were too many little fishies living there anyways!
Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some sewing soon!

Old Photos

2009-02-24T11:02:00.004-05:00

I'm finally getting my Mac in shape to begin some creative work again. First on the docket: scanning some old family photos for my Mom before the albums get shipped off to Florida to their original owner. Some of the photos of my grandparents I have never seen before so it's nice to have access to them for a while.
This one is either my grandmother or her sister. She's such a lovely child I think I'll claim her as my ancestor!
And this one is a photo of my grandfather and his oldest son, Wayne, on his farm in Virginia. The family only lived there for a few years then moved back up here into Michigan. They were from central Ohio before going to Virginia.I'm not excessively into geneology and yet it is interesting in small doses. I sure appreciate those who do spend the years and years necessary to do a complete geneological study of the family. My mother has done a lot of work for my dad's family and her own. And another woman published 2 large books worth of information on the VanBuskirk lineage (my dad's side).
My mother's family has only been in the US for a few generations, having immigrated from Germany. But my dad's side goes back to the early colonial days in New York, immigrating from the Netherlands in the 1600's.
So - on to the Mac. I'm getting the hang of it. Some things I like (especially iPhoto for organizing pictures. Their face recognition and place maps are really wonderful) and some things I don't like (I miss having an identifying thumbnail photo on my folders!). But I did get my old mouse to work so I have a 'back' button again for the internet. I REALLY missed that! In other words, I'm muddling along.

on the Mac

2009-02-18T08:58:00.004-05:00

Okay, I've had my Mac for a few days now and am getting a bit more comfortable with it. My sister-in-law asked me how using the Mac is going and I said 'it's like being strongly right-handed all of my life and now holding my right arm behind me and trying to do everything with my left hand. And having never been even remotely ambidextrous, it's been a challenge! I miss my back button on the mouse, the add/remove programs on the Control panel, the X for closing programs and windows being on the right (the back button and the X are right together on the Mac), I wish I could use my old wireless mouse - it was SO much more comfortable. I also miss my old keyboard - the new mac one is very thin and the keys are only about 1/8th of an inch high - but I'm getting used to it. I still have lots of driver updates to do and software to load. I've done some and had some glitches, but always did with Windows upgrades, too.
However, do I wish I'd stayed with the PC, Windows Vista, etc.? Not really. I think I'll be fine with the Mac once I get used to it. I had Parallels and Windows XP put on this computer so I can still use EQ6 and some other Windows only software and got EQ6 up and running last night. It seems okay. I like the new flat screen monitor, the Mac dock at the bottom of the screen, Firefox, and some of the other features.
I'm also getting a bit brain-fried with thinking about computers SO much over the last several weeks and am ready to start doing some other things again.
On that note, I did break away from the computer shopping and researching long enough to start thinking 'garden' for this spring. I haven't put in a vegetable garden for years, but one thing led to another and now I have way too many really cool seeds ordered for my garden that isn't even dug yet!
For some really incredible vegetable seeds, check out Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Johnny's Seeds, and Territorial Seeds. Baker Creek and Johnny's send out free and beautiful catalogs. Even if you don't garden, Baker Creek's is fun to sit down with and enjoy. Of course, they all have online catalogs also.
Another nice find: Earthbox Self-watering containers for the porch or patio. These things look like they will be worth the money - well made and sturdy. I'm going to be using several different self-watering containers for garden plants but I am most impressed with the Earthbox.
I think looking at all the seed catalogs is theraputic this time of year (late winter - brown everywhere, cold, damp, too long til spring...). I also started my amaryllis bulbs and some tulips a few weeks ago. Looks like only 2 of the 7 amaryllis bulbs are going to flower this year though. Guess I didn't fertilize them enough last summer! But 2 is better than none!! I love them.
I've always separated the little bulblets from mine, but last summer I visited the home of an avid and very knowledgeable flower grower and she never separates hers - says they like being crowded and do quite well - so I won't any more.
Guess that's enough for today!

Ah, Online Again!

2009-02-14T19:35:00.002-05:00

We finally have our new computer home and are working hard to learn the new software, platform, keyboard, etc., etc....

But it's nice to have finally made the decision and be back online. We did make the switch from PC to Mac and hopefully it will be the right decision because it's a done deal now!

More later.

Switching from PC to Mac

2009-02-04T16:10:00.003-05:00

My computer is definitely dead. It would have costed more to fix it that it was worth so now I am computer shopping. I'm looking at a Macintosh all-in-one desktop machine. I've always been a PC user so this will be quite a switch, but it looks good so far. Especially since I found out that I will be able to run EQ6 and other windows software even on a Mac (using a program called Parallels and Windows XP or Vista). I probably won't actually buy for a few weeks yet - waiting to make sure I have the extra money since the Mac I'm looking at is a bit more than I had planned to spend.
Anybody out there made the switch from PC to Mac? How did it work for you? Any advice?
In the meantime, as Debra commented in the last post, there's always the library!! Got to go - my 60 minutes are almost up!!

I think I'm Addicted!

2009-01-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

My computer has almost had it - again...
I've been preparing all weekend for taking it to the doctor to get a check-up - backing up files, cleaning up the hard drive, visiting around to all your fun sites. In other words, REALLY not wanting to do without my computer for who knows how long! I'm lingering longingly over my keyboard thinking up more things I 'really' need to do before I unplug it all.
It really makes me realize how much I enjoy being online and working on the computer. I do spend a lot of time online and playing with photography, photoshop, Kaleider kaleidoscopes, and now EQ.
But now 'So Long, Adieu, Auf Wiedersehen , Goodbye...'
See you all when I get my machine back.
I'll miss you!!!

CED '09 Crown of Thorns Quilt Vote

2009-01-14T09:40:00.007-05:00

Okay, friends, I'm looking for some opinions on this new mini-quilt design...

which one you like best and why.

This week for the Creative Every Day challenge I worked on a

new kaleidoscope design from, of all things, a little winter bird nest. One of the designs looked like a Crown of Thorns to me so I've been developing that idea into a quilt design. I will print the center block will be printed onto fabric as a whole cloth design. The challenge come with trying to decide what kind of borders to put around it. The whole piece will probably be about 20x20 since the largest I can print is about 12" without tiling for the center kaleidoscope. (Unless I check into the Spoonflower printing...)

So...here's your chance to help me choose which one to work on.

1. Designed in EQ with a gold filigree border.

All applique, which is not a strong area for me, but I like the look of it. 2. Designed in Photoshop with the dark border created with other kaleidoscopic designs which would also be printed onto fabric and pieced together to make the mini quilt.
3. Same as #2 but with a blue border.

Kaleidoscopes designed with Kaleider software. MUCH FUN! Check it out.

Using the right tools

2009-01-05T18:28:00.006-05:00

Another block (6 inch) using one of my kaleidoscopic fabric designs in the middle (I'll probably satin stitch over that white border - don't like it white). I had this idea of red and green spiraling around - but in spite of all the money I just spent on EQ6, I thought "I can do this design without seeing it in EQ6 first - I'll just wing it..."
Well, I like the block all right but it is NOT what I envisioned when I began. So I went to EQ6 after the fact to see how I should have laid it out to achieve my goal. Here is the EQ version that fits what I wanted more closely:

Conclusion: take the time to design first using the BEST tools for the job.

When I walked the dogs a few days ago I had to cut through the edge of a winter wheat field. Is it my imagination or is there a patchwork quilt there where the farmer had to make his turns?

EQ6 and Other New Things

2008-12-30T12:42:00.009-05:00

I am now the happy owner of EQ6. I drove down to Bowling Green, Ohio yesterday - about an hour south of my home - to purchase it direct from the Electric Quilt Company. Very nice and helpful people with a lobby quilt book collection to die for! So last night and today I've been learning the software and having lots of fun. Here's a sample that contains one of my own kaleidoscope photos from last summer's obsession. The large view of the whole quilt design plus a detail of the photo block. If I were to do this quilt (which I'm not) I would have to print all the photo blocks out myself (or send them to Spoonflower).
So these have been lots of fun to play around with.
I saw a new challenge for 2009 via Kim at Skybell Arts called Creative Every Day Challenge 2009 which I decided to join this year. I don't have a great history in keeping with these things all year, but I'm going to start it anyhow. Maybe this will be the year of FINISHING!!! So the optional theme for January is PLAY. I guess these quilt designs fit in the creative play category and so they are my first offering (even though it's not quite 2009 yet).
I also received the book Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts by RaNae Merrill for Christmas from my sister. What fun! Here's a little first attempt at those. The center is another of my kaleidoscope photos printed onto fabric.
And...these spiral quilts motivated me to finally purchase the EQ6 software. I like to design and color, but not by hand when it is SO much easier on the computer once I learn the program. After doing 3 sketches with colored pencils and spending WAY too much time doing it I decided EQ6 was the way to go. The Spiral Quilts book contains a CD with many templates that can be imported right into EQ6.
So with all this plus the Fusing book and soldering iron stuff that I also bought in December I have lots of things to learn to keep me busy and 'creative every day'!
How about you? What are you doing in 2009?

Merry Christmas and cookies

2008-12-23T10:15:00.006-05:00

May all you internet folks everywhere in the world celebrate the Christmas holiday (holyday) with love and wonder. Thank you for visiting me through the years. Feel free to stay long enough to introduce yourselves. I'd love to meet you!

And now on to the cookies. I found lots of new recipes this year to try...hazelnut crinkles, licorice caramel, buttermint crisps, eggnog snickerdoodles, cranberry fudge, no bake cookies with nutella instead of peanut butter, etc...some were really good, some not so memorable.

Just for fun I thought I'd share my funniest experiment: Pecan tassies. I love them but have not tried to make them in a long time. So I bought a really nice $15 mini muffin pan and assembled my supplies. However, being a naturally curious and creative thinker, I thought I'd try something different. Instead of making a traditional cream cheese/flour crust for the filling I bought prepared sugar cookie dough. A tip? Don't try this at home!It spread, rises, grows, and gets hard and crunchy. And most importantly, it fills the whole top of the pan and, as you can see, doesn't come apart very well at all!!So for batch number 2 - a more traditional shape for sugar cookie dough! I made 1 inch balls with a little depression for a dab of the filling and a half pecan. Not too bad but they sure flattened out a lot.
However they are all quite edible - even the really ugly first batch. I even served them to my kids at our Christmas party. They ate 'em.
But I made WAY too many kinds of cookies. After giving many to 3 families I still have two metal tins stored in the freezer (the very frozen garage...) protected from the mice and ME! (Cookies are one of my favorite foods)
Merry Christmas!

Going Crazy

2008-12-06T16:59:00.007-05:00

Being inspired by Allison Aller, Debra Spincic, and many other online folks I've been playing around with Crazy Quilting. So here are a few of the things I've been working on. To avoid using a hoop I've used a medium interfacing as the backing and it's working out quite well. When I'm finished with these they might be used as fronts for little bags or made into little framed pieces so the extra stiffness isn't a problem.
The size on the two more finished ones is about 5x5 and the one with no stitching is 8x8. I also bought a soldering iron with a bunch of craft tips and have been experimenting with cutting and fusing sheer fabrics - possibly using them as overlays in the CQ blocks. It's all kind of fun but I wouldn't say I'm hooked on either process yet. More of an occassional evening diversion...

But, being a compulsive book buyer, I found 2 books to inspire me and learn from:

Fusing Fabric, by Margaret Beal

The Magic of Crazy Quilting, by J. Marsha Michler

Both are interesting and helpful.

Asian Block of the Month

2008-11-13T10:17:00.007-05:00

I haven't been doing much sewing lately - but I am still working on the Asian BOM through the quilt guild I'm in. Ten blocks down, two to go - which I'll be picking up tonight. I also have the sashing bought and cut to size. It's black with gold flecks.

Here is one photo of the blocks to date, including the 3 orphan blocks that have resulted from poor value choices. And another photo of the 3 orphans with their new versions. In a two of them (top and middle) I altered the patterns a bit on the second try and like them better that way too.

Value is VERY important in choosing colors. Look at how the slightly lighter green background in the middle row helps bring out the contrast in the designs. The darker green is the one that comes with each new block but when I chose the other colors the golds, the rose, and the blue were all too close in value to to the darker green. So...Orphan blocks...You'd think I would have learned after only one!

Almost Autumn

2008-09-01T08:06:00.004-05:00

When I see these goldenrod flowers I know fall is very close. I love fall - the colors, the cool, crisp air, the feeling of change... The bees are working overtime in the flowers (and at the oriole feeder. The bald faced hornets are viciously attacking any birds that come near the feeders - but I hate to take them down because the oriole has stayed all summer this year. Normally I only see it through June. So I've hung a wasp trap, but so far no takers...)
I visited the yard of a woman I know through the a Toledo camera club. She has a small greenhouse and about 400 container plants on her back patio. She is an expert gardener and loves exotic plants, having everything imaginable - orchids, cacti and succulents, bromiliads, dahlia, coleus, hibiscus - the list goes on and on. She is also a very gracious hostess. Her husband even seranaded us (my mother, another friend, and myself) after lunch. Thank you, Carolyn and Russ for a lovely day! Here are a few photos from her garden.
Colorado (or Coronado) Dahlia
Hibiscus
Agave
Not too much going on the quilting front right now. I've been doing a few odds and ends - not even worth photographing. Hope all my fellow quilters are doing better!! I keep making the rounds of the bloggers hoping to be inspired - and many of you are doing some beautiful things - but it hasn't 'took' on me yet. Maybe tomorrow!!
Happy Labor Day, for my American friends.

Warning: Fun with Kaleidoscope Software

2008-07-08T10:52:00.007-05:00

Don't try these techiques at home unless you want to become addicted (like me!!). It's just too much fun and way too time consuming.
That said, here are some images and ideas.
Take the Kaleider software mentioned in the last post, open your favorite photo, apply one template from the left side, hit Render towards the bottom left, then just keep hitting Random (using the mouse to shift the images) and save anything that interests you. Here are 2 of the original saved images with an area cropped out for tiles and borders. And then the border I created from those. A good tip is to first create the frame and then crop or resize the center image to fit the frame. It's just much easier to get the pieces to fit together that way.

Then take some of the best images and plug them into a good photo editing software program (I use Photoshop). Cut and paste to make borders, decorative corner tiles, and more, with the original image in the center or something else that looks good. Print on photo paper or fabric. Of course, for me I'm experimenting with fabric since I have 2 new printers that work great for fabric printing. If you print of fabric, don't forget to boost the saturation from 25 - 50 percent to get a more colorful print. Fabric dulls the inks quite a bit.
Here are two finished images done with this technique.

All of the borders and tiles shown here are done from a few different dahlia photos that I took, which helps to ensure complementary colors. I bought this beautiful flower about a month ago. It is one of the dinnerplate dahlias, named Akita, and it is just gorgeous.
The possibilities from one good image are absolutely endless. I had to buy a large capacity MyBook storage unit to hold the images I've been doing from my photos and the Kaleider software.

A Different Kind of Kaleidoscope

2008-06-02T13:23:00.011-05:00

Well, I still haven't done too much sewing lately, but I'm about to start back into some things. But what I did find to keep busy was kaleidoscope fun of the non-sewing kind (read about my misadventures of sewing kaldeioscopes from a few posts back, March 3, 2008). I saw some really beautiful photographic kaleidoscopes on etsy and was intrigued with them, then I remembered reading about an easy downloadable software program to create them from a fellow blogger, Deb H in Alaska, maybe? Found Kaleidoscope Kreator, purchased and downloaded it. What fun!! But it didn't do quite as much as I hoped so I searched a bit more and found Kaleider 4.4 - much better - it is a shareware program with downloadable trial software. In Kaleider one can save in a variety of sizes and shapes - circles, squares, offcenter squares, rectangles, and different dpi's and formats. It is actually made to create moving screensavers with sound - the ability to save still images almost seems an afterthought.
I did a few things with the celtic cross pattern in the KK version and put them on etsy. So far my etsy sites are very slow in business. One has sold nothing, the other some notecards. Not what I hoped but I'm not ready to stop yet. It is fun and I'm still hoping for business to pick up some. And besides, at a fee of only .20 per 4 month posting it is easy and cheap to try it out for quite a while.
Here is some kaleidoscope fun!! These are just a handful of the endless possiblities - all from one photo of some purple iris' and all done with the Kaleider software.

What's Up?

2008-04-23T21:33:00.004-05:00

I haven't done much blogging lately because I took off on a tangent again. I bought a new printer, an Epson R2400 - very nice, beautiful print quality. When I first wanted one it was for fabric printing, but now that I have it I can't bear the thought of running fabric through it and maybe messing up the print heads. And then I found Etsy stores and all that lovely photography that is on it. Anyone who has followed my blog knows that I do love photography. I used to do a lot of 35mm slide photography and have a few thousand slides, not all good but not all bad either. And I also discovered digital cameras a few years ago - unlimited numbers of photos with no developing expenses - my idea of a good time! Haven't touched a roll of film or my 35mm cameras since!
So, at the moment, instead of doing much sewing I've been busy setting up an Etsy store just for photography and getting some of my photos onto it. I actually sold one already, after only 3 days. So, I'm not quitting sewing and quilting, but I have been a bit distracted from it the last few weeks. But I'm still making the rounds on the blogs and enjoying everyone else's work!! My Etsy link is on the left for any photography fans out there in the blogosphere.

Finished Blocks

2008-03-17T17:12:00.010-05:00

Well, while my computer is home on leave from the fix-it shops (3x in a month and still not running well) here are some things I've been finishing:

All 12 puzzle blocks - all using the same block design and a few key fabrics. Lots of fun for me. It's put away for now. Some time later I will sew the top with some sashing and borders and finish it.

I will surely try this again some time when I see a big print fabric that calls my name, but next time I'll buy at least 2-3 full yards to get a better selection of interesting pieces.

Some orphan blocks from the leftover pieces of the puzzle blocks...still using the same pattern, but different colors. I have a stack of 12 inch blocks that are just odd blocks like these. Someday they may become a sampler quilt...

January - March Blocks of the Month for the quilt guild I belong to locally (Monroe County Quilt Guild). February (middle) looked hard and March looked easy but it turned out to be the opposite. February went together pretty well and easily even with lots of 1 1/2 inch squares to sew and an alteration to the pattern. March was actually easy but I made it hard.
I hated the first one I did...not enough contrast in the colors (top left) so I tried again, (bottom left) altered the block pattern and had to cut and rip out several times to get it right. But I like it a lot better!

And some spring photos: Yes, this IS my backyard. Can't you just imagine my 2 big dogs frolicking happily in that mess then running into the house to jump on the couches and the beds? Yes, they DO!! (Their big feet and playfulness made the back yard the mess that it is. Spring clean-up and lots of grass seed as soon as it's dry enough!)

On a prettier note: an opossum out for a spring walk, looking for some grub, I presume. And a killdeer, the first I've seen this year. They, and the vultures, mark spring for me. I saw a vulture yesterday, too. Today it's very chilly and we may get some flurries again. Not quite spring yet, but soon.

Kaleidoscopes and Snow

2008-03-03T08:47:00.004-05:00

Kaleidoscopes are just WAY too much fussy cutting for me!!! The Puzzle Blocks (see previous post) pushed my limits on that but these kaleidoscope pieces put me way past what I can endure. So...lest I go insane, they are now packed away for some future day and officially on the UFO list. And good riddance to them! Now I'm back to finishing the last few puzzle blocks that were laid out but not sewn together.
On a cheerier note: I know spring is on the way but here are a few more snow photos from February. The dogs loved the big fields of smooth ice. Lucy found out she likes to slide and Strider loves to break ice by pouncing and scratching at it. Fun to watch them play like little kids.
Today we're having a 52 degree day and my backyard is an inch or two of water over packed ice. Again, thank the dogs for that mess. Next comes the month or two of mud...(They are big and they run and play a lot, tearing up most of the grass and packing the snow flat.) I think I need to get a big bag of grass seed and spread it very early this spring in the hopes of getting a green yard back.

Puzzles and Kaleidoscopes

2008-02-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

I'm working on Puzzle blocks and Kaleidoscope blocks from Paula Nadelstern's 2 books by the same names. Because I got them both from the library I have a time limit so I've been spending quite a bit of time on them. It takes a LOT of fussy cutting and I'm finding out that is definitely not my favorite thing to do...BUT I do like the blocks I've finished so I guess it's worth the time. The 2 blocks here are puzzle blocks where the goal is to disguise the edges of the squares and triangles to the design flows together more.

My goal is to do 6 puzzle blocks and 6 kaleidoscope blocks, all 12", and put them together with sashing and borders into one lap sized quilt. Then I'll probably be done with them for good unless I print the kaleidoscopes onto fabric myself so I don't have to fussy cut anything!!

And I'm trying to limit fabrics to just several complementary color for each set of 6 so that hopefully all 12 blocks will look good together. I'm also using just one basic block design for each of the 2 sets so I can cut all my pieces the same size for each set. That way I can experiment with color layouts more.

So far, 2 finished, 2 laid out and ready to sew, lots of pieces cut to size to be put together.

An interesting note on the Kaleidoscope book by Paula Nadelstern - if you have one, hang on to it. It's out of print right now so on ebay and also the Amazon used book dealers the $25 book is currently selling anywhere from $55 to $180 depending on the condition of it. That's why I got it as a library book!!

Dyeing and Blocks - 2008

2008-01-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to finish up some 2007 projects - quilting and binding 2 quilts for granddaughters, binding 2 Quilt Studio military quilts, and some other odd things. And also getting started on 2008 things. I was determined to get into art quilts again instead of bed quilts - but then I decided to start a quilt for my grandson - and then there was that new BOM Asian quilt through the local guild...

For a playday I experimented for the first time with some Procion MX dyes that I bought at least a year ago. I used cotton sateen which worked well cut up into smaller pieces so I could try lots of colors and effects. I did several more pieces than these and overdyed most of them again to get more colors. Some turned out nicely and some were like khaki - yuck. But it was fun enough that I'll probably try it again in the summer when I can take it outside. It is just too messy (and unsafe) for my kitchen, although that's where my experiments take place. One thing I discovered: one grain of those powders can make one heck of a spot on clothing!!

Here is an Ohio Star block that is part of a larger monthly raffle BOM for the local quilt guild. This is 12.5 inches - the finished block is 24.5. Winners get 12 each of the 24.5" size. This is my first time doing one of these raffle blocks. I'm still working at improving my general quilting skills by trying different blocks.

And this Japanese Lantern block is the first of the year-long BOM for the local group. I decided to buy into this one because of the Asian theme. I love the Asian fabrics but haven't had any goals to justify buying more than a little fat quarter now and then.

It will be like a mystery quilt for me since every month the block will be different and I have no clue what's next.

The eagle is one of my own photo's from Friday's walk behind the local community college. I noticed one of my dogs, Lucy, looking up at the sky and followed her gaze to see this beautiful bird right overhead. In spite of the dogs jerking the leashes all over, the cold, the sun, I was able to get a few nice pictures. Yea!! My best eagle photo to date.

I also have 3rd blog now. It is part of the mychurch network. Our church, Redeemer Fellowship, got into this and have about 125+ members online - some of whom are actually active! It's fun and a good way to get to know one another. It's also public so if anyone wants to check it out or join, for my site come on over and say hey!!

As a side note: I'm having a hard time doing a nice lay-out on this blog - not sure if it's blogger or my mouse. I've been having some computer problems lately and need to get it into the shop for some work. I just hate taking the time to finish up some projects on the hard drive and to get things backed up better. Oh, that's right... there should always be time for getting things backed up properly!!! Maybe I'll do the back-up now. See you later!

Getting back to work

2007-12-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas is done. Now it's time to finish up things from 2007 and eagerly look forward to new projects. I started last year with a killer list of goals - I won't embarrass myself by saying how many were never even started - but a new year is upon us!! Off with the old, on with the new...

So, I finally finished the Tea Leaf quilt and even got to show it at the local quilt guild. I cut bias binding and scalloped the edges. Whether I did it 'right' I don't know - I've never tried a scalloped edge before - but it's done and I like it.

Now I'm finishing up some scrappy kids quilts. They are just random rectangular cuts out of all kinds of scraps and novelty fabrics - birds, fish, cats and dogs, pigs, butterflies, etc., and also leftover blocks from other projects.

One is finished and delivered to our youngest granddaughter in Tennessee (one year old) and 2 more are in the works for my 2 older granddaughters here. I guess I got carried away because in my zeal to get 3 quilts like this I'm actually going to end up with 5. It's been a regular production line! (I just kept cutting fabric in an effort to make sure I had enough - I did!) But that's okay because we found out that there is one more Tennessee grandchild coming next summer.

But what I'm really trying to do is get all these quilts finished so I can really start to play again. I'm glad I'm doing the quilts (they're all lap quilt size) It's fun to give them away. But my heart is in art quilting and I am burning to start on some new ones!!

Light of the World

2007-12-24T12:19:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Jesus, the Light of the World is among us!!

" The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2

and
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

(The photo is of a sunrise over the fields across the road from my house two days ago.)

Quilting for Show book

2007-12-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

I found this 2007 book, Quilting for Show by Karen McTavish, at Barnes and Noble last week and spent the morning with it today. It is very nice, interesting, and helpful for people like me who have never entered a larger show. It also has lots of pictures of beautiful prize winning quilts and with write-ups about the quilts by the artists.

There is a DVD in the back of the book (which I haven't watched yet) showing different techniques such as making a sleeve, blocking a quilt, and multiple quilting techniques (feathers, rope & cable, crosshatching, etc.)

As for me, I'm spending lots of time trying to finish a few Christmas lap quilts. Time's getting short and I could use Allison's massage therapist!!

Another 12x12x12

2007-10-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

In checking out other blogs today I found another 12x12x12 group starting up for 2008. This one is by invitation only and has 12 participants - everyone works on the same theme which is changed for each deadline, the first being Dandelions - they will have a gallery show at the end - deadlines are every 2 months - people post progress and comments as work progresses - they have a set 'reveal' date - they have a cool logo. It looks like a nice group of art quilters and should be fun to watch. I'll be adding it to my sidebar list of blogs to peek in on from time to time.

Fall is Here!

2007-09-26T09:19:00.000-05:00

I love fall. It's, by far, my favorite season...cool, crisp, colorful...last nice days before winter....Dogwood leaves near her garage.
Every fall I bag 100's of bags of leaves with her rider mower at my mom's house. She has 27 acres of woods and LOTS of leaves in the yard, paths, and gardens. It gets me outside a lot. Yesterday was my first day bagging...12 bags to start...many more to go.
Amanita mushroom by her pine trees. Don't eat - very poisonous!

A favorite spot at Veteran's Park, Raisin River near my home. I've spent hours and hours here over the years enjoying God's creation and thanking Him for His love and watchful care over us.

I think the geese thank Him, too. They sure love this spot - especially when the water level is low like it is right now. We could use some rain, but it is easier for them to feed here when the river is low. Yesterday when I drove by there were probably a hundred geese on the river.

What's Up?

2007-08-31T16:08:00.000-05:00

Well, after a few weeks of no time to sew I finally finished this top. It's small - 36 x 51 - but I think I'll just let it be that small and baby sized. Not a clue how I'm going to be able to quilt it so it looks nice (being very inexperienced in that area!!) Any suggestions? (Because of the way I sewed it there are some very thick areas, up to six or seven layers in some of the quarter circles, plus bias binding.)

A detail shot...
Last week we took a 5 day vacation and went to a really great 3 day Christian gathering in Grand Rapids, Igniting Fresh Fire - hosted by the Healing Rooms of Grand Rapids. Speakers were Todd Bentley, who we really love and who has an awesome international ministry, Craig Kinsley, new to us but a great speaker and fiery young man of God, and Mark Gurley, director of the Healing Rooms, very funny and an inspiring speaker. Worship was mostly by Nate Marialke - a very anointed worship leader and team. (Check out a sampling of his music .)
We also took a day and a half of relax-time. A day at Holland State Park on Lake Michigan - beautiful weather, nice sunburns, and several hours to just enjoy God's creation.I love to wade but, oh was the water cold at first!And an evening at Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. It was $12 per person to enter, but well worth it. The buildings, greenhouses, gardens, and sculptures were very impressive. They have a wonderful children's garden and a really peaceful .75 mile boardwalk along a marsh, lots of beautiful flowers, and a great farm with bronze sculpted people and animals. Bob really liked the 24' DaVinci horse. He says he was holding it up by one hand and one hoof! He's good, but... I enjoyed the little areas like this desert environment complete with coyoteand the house made of moss, vines, and a hen-and-chicks roof. So that's how I spent my summer vacation!

Some Finished Tops

2007-08-15T08:25:00.001-05:00

I finally took 4 finished quilt tops over to church where I can pin them to a carpeted wall for pictures. Here they are: Drunkard's Path, pieced in an alternating 4 patch designDetail shot of the center. Just for fun I used a 3 different grape prints throughout it. You can also see some birds flying here and there. This top sewed very well because I trimmed the blocks after piecing the quarter circles, then trimmed the 4 patch sections again. Lots of cutting but much better results than my average. It is about 60 x 70 - lap robe size. A matching set for a wounded military person (a baby quilt using up the scraps will be pinned to the big one) The centers are stars. These are being sent off to Deb Geyer today, who is graciously quilting them on her long arm. Then it will be off to Debra Spincic for binding and delivery. It was fun participating in this endeavor and thanks to Debra Spincic for organizing it.
And finally, a photo of my favorite: the Tea Leaf quilt. I hope to get this and the Drunkard's Path quilted this fall. Lap robe size, and the edges will be scalloped without those points.

Still Working...

2007-07-30T19:19:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am still working --just not blogging much. See! I did a large lap robe sized Drunkard's Path quilt top (no good photos yet...later) using about 300 squares. And when it was all finished I still had over 100 leftovers. So I started this one. It is an enhanced verstion with all kinds of colors and patterns sewn over the original squares. It is tons of fun and has become a very obsessive behavior. If you don't believe me, ask my husband. He'll tell you!
I am using a zigzag stitch to add the pieces which include specialty fabrics like goldfish, grapes, butterflies, birds and flowers to add little surprises. I also included strips of commercial bias binding in metallic, single fold and double fold to add graphic lines. (but they are awfully thick and are going to be difficult to seam and quilt...oops!)
If I were starting over I would just use the quarter circles not folded over, just zigzagged on to hold them down. But I'm NOT starting over!!! 123 squares finished, about 30 to go.

Rissa's Little Friends

2007-07-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

Life Around the Yard

2007-06-29T09:11:00.001-05:00

First a little quilting content: this is a baby quilt (infant) made from the extra squares from the twin sized patriotic quilt. Both tops are finished but not yet quilted. Not your typical baby quilt, but colorful! And now some yard photos: a Red Admiral butterfly on the oriole feeder. I was waiting for hummingbirds but got this guy instead.
On a tip from my sister in law, Joyce, I bought this beautiful Star of Yelta morning glory this year for the fence. It is gorgeous! I also have a blue one but it hasn't bloomed yet.
My mother loves day lilies and gave me a few starts of her 200+ varieties. This one is Canadian Mounty - a good grower and a beautiful red.A fellow gave us this "trumpet vine" several years ago. It's honeysuckle! But the hummingbirds love it so that's okay.

An unusual gazania.

A house wren who has a nest in the backyard.A young downy woodpecker hoping to get some of the hanging suet. I found out that day as I watched that our dog Lucy was staking out the suet feeder and chasing the birds away when they tried to land, even though it is several feet above her head.
Some goldfish in one of our ponds.

One of the big Green Frogs in the pond. We have several this year. (It's fish food and duck weed around his mouth. I had just fed the fish.)

And a baby frog who hasn't yet absorbed his tail. A first for me to see.
The larger back yard pond, approx. 8 x 12 x 3 1/2. It's just deep enough for the lilies and fish to be able to survive the winters. We have a large yard and when we fenced it in for the dogs we divided it to be able to keep grandkids and dogs away from the ponds unless supervised. It's worked out well even if it looks a bit odd.
The smaller back yard pond, 6 x 6 x 2 1/2.

And our 3 front yard ponds. The rectangular one (red brick bottom) stays up year round, the other two come down in the winter. But all plants and fish from these have to go to the deeper ponds over winter. And we have to run a bubbler through the winter to keep the ice from freezing over or the fish will die. It's happened before...not a pretty sight.

A Patriotic Quilt

2007-06-15T21:16:00.001-05:00

I've been too busy to sew much lately, but when I get time I'm working on this patriotic lap robe quilt. I have all of the 9 patch blocks finished now and am starting to sew the blue strips on now. It's coming along even if slowly.
Tonight we just got back from a surprise 84th birthday party for my father-in-law. He truly was surprised and pleased - that was nice! And Sunday we are having a birthday/father's day party for several in the family.
Happy Father's Day to any fathers out there who might be reading this!

Polar Bear Cubs, Baby Giraffe

2007-05-18T07:56:00.000-05:00

Bob and I went to the Toledo Zoo this week to get a look at the polar bear cubs on exhibit. They are so extremely fun to watch - very playful and energetic. There are 2 family groups, one mom with female twins and one with a male cub. One group is on view from 10 - 1 pm and the other from 1 - 4 pm. Then the adult male goes into this area in the evenings but the zoo is closed then.

Mom got playful and head-butted the baby all the way across the pool.
The bears love to dig in the dirt and tear at a huge dead log in the enclosure.
But the most fun, by far, was being able to watch them swim underwater. The Toledo zoo has a great area for the public to view the bears. They have done a wonderful job of enriching the animals' areas over the last few years. The Detroit zoo also has an interesting polar bear exhibit- they have an underwater acrylic tube for the public to walk through with the bears swimming around and above. I haven't been to see that one yet - this summer!
And there was also this cute little (6-7 foot) giraffe baby, also born at the zoo.

May 12x12x12: Honesty (Money Plant)

2007-05-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Honesty (Money Plant) by Sande LaFaut
May, 2007
12x12" Whole cloth quilt, artwork done with Neocolor II sticks, quilted with 30 wt. rayon. Batting inside and midweight pellon on the back.

Detail shot showing stitching and the few white beads I added to brighten up the centers of the flowers.

Continuing with the "Flowers" theme my May offering is a drawing done with Neocolor II aquarelle sticks (heatset with iron). I saw some beautiful work by Allison on her site and remembered that I have a small set of these colors and that they are fun and fast. High priority right now! I started with one of my photos of the Honesty plant in my mother's woods this spring. I drastically enhanced the colors and added some lighting effects in Photoshop, printed it out to 10" size and traced the outlines of the flower onto the white fabric. Then I ironed the fabric onto freezer paper to stabilize it.
The colors were added to dry fabric then dampened with a brush and water which helped to blend the colors. I drew into the wet fabric more to add some graphic lines and enhance colors that blended too much. Then I heatset the whole thing with the iron, added more color and heatset again.
After I quilted the whole thing with 30 wt. rayon thread I started experimenting with a shaped border like I had for last month. It was okay, but when I took it off I decided I prefered a simple squared binding instead. (which is also much faster!)

This one was fun, easy, and quick. Can't complain about that!!

One more thing: Through the Alzheimer's Art Initiative site, I found a new way to fix the back for hanging that is wonderful for small pieces: Fast Triangles. I forgot to photograph it but will try to post one later on. It was so extremely easy: just cut a 4" square, fold it in half, pin it to the backing before binding, sew on the binding as usual, and it is finished except for inserting a thin dowel rod. So much easier than sewing on a traditional sleeve.

Kaleidoscopes and 'poppy' dogs

2007-04-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

I've been experimenting with kaleidoscope shapes, having been inspired by Paula Nadelstern's work and the Stack-n-Whack stuff. However, being of poor budget I'm just muddling through and having fun with it. So my blocks surely arent' perfect but they're good enough for now. I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. I might put them together into a quilt with the theme of 'Spinning My Wheels' but it will be awhile - WAY on the back burner! Out of 2 half yard pieces of fabric I got 11 kaleidoscopes of assorted sizes, from 5 inches up to about 12 inches. All butterflies and flowers. If I do a quilt I'd like to have some from a songbird fabric, too, for a garden theme.
But in the meantime I have a long list of things to finish, housework and yardwork to do, and getting back to some physical and spiritual disciplines that I used to do regularly.
So I may not be posting much on my blog for a while unless it's things I have finished up. My list of sewing projects to finish is long enough to last for quite a while. On a smarter day, whenever that day comes along, I'll get all caught up before I start anything else!! And last, but not least, a new photo of my beautiful "Poppy" (Strider) who is 2 years old this May. He's a wonderful, smart, curious, loving...excitable, fierce, skittish, energetic...German Shepherd mix who has lived with us for about a year and a half now. He was from a local shelter until we got him and he's been a great addition to our family (even though he desperately needs more obedience training and socialization. As a young adult he's becoming more of a watch dog and more aggressive towards other dogs. More training in the works this month.)

Happy Birthday, Strider.

12x12x12 April Lotus

2007-04-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

12x12x12 April Challenge Piece: Lotus, by Sande LaFaut
Cotton fabrics, Metallic and Rayon thread, Raw-edged and Turned applique using a freezer paper technique on a mid-weight pellon base, batting and backing fabric.

The center of the flower is quilted on with heavy rayon thread. The curved border is pieced in the same way as the flower and machine-appliqued onto the quilted top. Then the backing is sewn around with an envelope binding and turned right side out.
Before I cut and turned the envelope binding I noticed the sun shining through it and couldn't resist having a 'stained glass quilt' for a few minutes. I like the idea but know that the sunshine would destroy the colors in a very short time. Too bad!!! I actually like this better than the finished piece...
The original photo that I worked from - a lotus in my pond several years ago. The lotus is a stunning flower. This one stood about 12 inches above the water and was approx. 5 inches across. But they were hard to winter over in pots and my shallow pond so I don't have any now. If you like to take photos of flowers but don't want to grow them just ask your local growers for permission to photograph in their gardens. They are usually very cooperative. Just be careful not to damage or step on anything!

My critique of this piece: It was interesting to do but took much more time than I hoped, mostly because it was new territory for me. I like the appliqued, curved edges and the envelope backing. I am very happy to break away from a square or rectangular (pot-holder!!!) shape. However, I wish I would have made the two sides more similar: I like the left side much better than the right side. I also loved the way the dark raw-edged areas turned out. And I like using the raw-edged and turned applique in the same piece. (All applique is machine done!) I think I over-quilted the flower but I can live with it. I'm also not thrilled with the stamens. At some point I might experiment with some beading to bring it out more. But overall I'm pleased with the project and have learned several new things.

Worship Garments

2007-04-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

Two more worship garments finished:
River of God based on Revelations 22:1-2 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."
This one, to me, is symbolic of God's refreshing waters flowing over us bringing healing and peace.
My husband and model loves this one. It is rich and it drapes and moves beautifully.

And Nothing But the Blood based on
I Peter 1:18-21 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."
This one is reversible. The red side speaks of the shed blood of Jesus. It is splashed with dark paint and has 9 black cords symbolizing the beating he took before dying on the cross.
The white side speaks of the resurrected Christ, pure and holy, victorious and forever alive. It is ringed with red and a crown of thorns as a constant reminder of the sacrifice He made, but it also has a golden cross as a symbol of His victory over death, and His authority of all of creation.
I liked the spirals in the gold fabric of the cross because the spiral is one symbol for the Holy Spirit. The crown of thorns was drawn onto the satin with Fabrico markers. They work well, didn't bleed on the fabric, and are heatset with an iron.
So now four are finished and just waiting for the right time to be used.

WIP - Quilting by Improvisation book and work

2007-04-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

Two excellent books that I bought recently...both very different and both very much worth the money. (I used my 40% off Joanne coupons for them!)

An improvisational project in progress from the second book

A flower in a pond for a second project, in progress and ready to quilt.
And finally, the beginnings for my April 12x12x12 offering. This one is from a Lotus photo that I took a few years ago. I'm using a combination of techniques, part Joan Colvin and part Vickie Pignatelli's Quilting by Improvisation, which is basically part raw-edged applique and part turned machine applique.
The Quilting by Improvisation book is filled with tips for turning edges on tips and curves, putting holes in your projects, breaking away from straight edges, working with freezer paper templates, unusual bindings, using watersoluble stabilizer to make lacy overlays, etc...
I highly recommend it for any art quilters in the group.

A close-up of the darker areas behind the flower. These are raw-edged applique with variegated and metallic threads added for movement. I'm very happy with how that part looks. The flower will be turned machine applique, as will the binding.

WIP - Crazy Piecing, Finished Flamingo

2007-03-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Some experiments in crazy piecing: a new experience for me. Not sure what I will do with them yet. It was interesting but took a long time to do. It's also a good way to use some of the MANY silky fabric scraps I have stuffed in a bag.

And I finally finished the binding on the flamingo block. The orange is piping and the black has gold writing all over it. I chose those 2 colors to pick up the orange and black in the center patch.

12x12x12 March - Amaryllis Block

2007-03-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

Amaryllis Block
Sande LaFaut, March 2007
12"x12", Cotton fabrics, Photo printing on inkjet printer, Piping and binding
The March offering for the 12x12x12 Portfolio Challenge is from some of the amaryllis photos I took in January. (details on the process here). I don't remember the name of the block design, but I got it from The Quilter's Recipe Book which contains patterns for about 100 blocks. It was very challenging for my skill level and when I applied the binding I found out many of my points around the edges didn't line up properly. Oh well, maybe next time!
I also really wanted to try some piping around this one. I got the cord, cut my blue fabric, sewed the cord in, then re-read the instructions. Oops! Does not work well on square edges... so cut the pieces to 12 inches and sewed them separately onto each side then did the binding. I like it the colors and concept but the execution could have been better. But, still - it was interesting to try. I really do like piped edges and would like to learn to do it properly. Next time I would leave more around the edges to put it onto. I only had the 1/4 inch I wanted for the binding and had to put pins about every inch to hold the piping, then the binding, in place. It was really a challenge to sew. Live and learn.

WIP - more Tea Leaves

2007-03-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

Working along still on the Tea Leaf Quilt, I finished machine appliqueing all the pieces on and began designing in earnest. I have 3 types of squares - dark on light, light on dark, and a mid range where the leaf blends with the background. In my first design experiments I had these all together, just trying to design by color, and didn't like the results. So I sorted everything into these 3 groups and began again. I put all of the light leaves on dark backgrounds in the center and arranged from hot reds and oranges to cooler greens, purples, and blues. However, as I looked at it I realized I had a very white area towards the center that didn't blend with the rest. I didn't have enough squares to change it and had to make 5 more. I took those out and put in the new ones and like it much better. Then I added the brightest ones in a border around these and started in again around that with the darkest squares, still working with the hot to cool colors. I like it much better now. I have most of the strips sewn in one direction diagonally. The problem I'm having now is that my design board is too small. Not sure how I'm going to handle that part yet. I have lots of squares still waiting to be sewn on. The value progression will get lighter towards the outside edges.
If I were going to start over on cutting leaves and squares I would totally eliminate that mid range of values. Every square would have clear contrast, either dark to light or light to dark. But I'm sure not going to change at this point!
I'm also working on bindings for two 12" pieces that I have almost finished.

Consuming Fire Robe

2007-03-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

My husband, Bob, modeling the Holy Spirit Fire robe. It's done except for a couple of little finishing details. This one could be called "Consuming Fire" and represents the verse:
Hebrews 12:28-29 'Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."' I see His fire as a very positive thing - all that is unholy in and around us will be burned up with only pure love, light, and joy remaining. That can't be a bad thing!
This one was fun to do because all of the fringe actually is burned to seal the edges instead of sewn. I loved doing it because it fit the theme of the garment so well. This one slips over the head, poncho-style.

The yellow and orange fabrics for this were donated by a like-minded friend. (Thanks, Debbie!) I think they might be sheer curtain fabric. She's a great sale shopper and watches for odd things that might be useful for church. The two fabrics have enough polyester to fuse wonderfully without going up in flames (like organza will - beware of anything with metallic threads). The yoke is a fiery red with a 'river of fire' look to it up close. It's a current fabric at Joanne Fabric right now. I made the little flames to add to the yoke out of leftover scraps, also put to the flame to fuse. (I'm a fire-lover at heart, both here and in the Spirit!)

Two down, two more started.

WIP - Tea Leaf Progress

2007-02-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

I finally feel like I'm making some headway on this lap robe. I have all 300 tea leaf edges starched under and am trying to sew at least 20 a day onto the 4" squares. I count 152 finished in this photo - that's about half. I probably will work it 'on point' like this but may try to emphasize the circles instead of the crosses. And according to the directions I'm supposed to cut each 4" square down to 3 1/2" once the tea leaves are appliqued on so the leaves will touch one another, but that is a lot of extra work and wasted fabric. I think I will leave the 4" and then quilt 1/4 " around each leaf and just have that be the quilting - like an echo quilting. Plus it sounds easier for a beginning quilter like myself. I'm also supposed to cut out the extra fabric behind the leaves - again, not going to do it. I'm planning on using a thin batting so maybe the extra fabric will add to the warmth of the quilt...

WIP Wednesday - Tea Leaves and Garments

2007-02-14T10:03:00.000-05:00

Last week I started cutting pieces (300 each for the leaves and the squares!) for a Tea Leaf crib sized quilt. Again the directions are in "More Quilts from The Quiltmaker's Gift". Since I'm pretty much snowed in yesterday and today I'm working on sewing some of the pieces. First I'm using a heatproof template and starching the edges under, then using a medium blue thread and a tiny zigzag stitch for machine applique.
And since that's going to take a while and I'm in no hurry, I'm also working on another worship garment for church. This one symbolizes Holy Spirit fire. The worship ministry leader gave me a deadline to work towards to have 4 finished before we start to use them and I said "THANK YOU!!! Deadlines are my friend!" Otherwise I can procrastinate with the best of them...
Some recent photos from walks with the dogs: bluebirds in a nearby field, and myself bundled up for a long walk with Lucy and Strider. Lucy loves the snow and will stay out for long periods. Strider likes to be out as long as he's either walking or playing... no standing around or sitting. He gets cold if he isn't on the move or very distracted.