Library Quilt Group and Art

Monday nights for March and April is my Library quilt group. It is a wide and delightful mix of women each doing their own quilt thing. Since the project needs to be portable and simple I'm using a bunch of machine-embroidered redwork squares to make a very straightforward bed-sized quilt. It isn't very arty I'm afraid but I'll do something artier (arty-er?) next or in tandom. I have applied to join the Artful Quilters web ring. I think it is where I belong. I'm not a traditional quilter, although I think the definition of traditional has moved closer to the artful. On the other hand I want to include fabric and fiber and techniques I've learned in what I do.

I think that joining something that is related to art quilting will point me more firmly in the direction I want to go.

Blended Birds Part 2

After I uploaded the photo of this quilt last night I realized that looking at it small and in this context gave me a different perspective on the colors and the borders so here it is with three possible border colors for me to consider.

I did work on the border for the paper-pieced new york beauty/zinnia quilt -- and I worked out.

No Matter What....

I must get on the treadmill tonight. No matter what....

Bird Blended Nine-Patch

I started this in a class. The class sample was a wall quilt size. The teacher's quilt used a large Asian print featuring koi as a focus. I loved this bird fabric because I was just starting my bird period but the print is smaller and I did not believe it would make enough of a graphic impact to be a compelling wall quilt. I thought it would be appealing as a bed quilt so I made it larger. Now it needs a 2 inch or so inner border and a pieced outer border. The outer border, although more complex, will likely go together in a fairly straightforward way. The hitch is the inner border. The obvious choice would be a mottled red, like the red bird in the print. But I have been resisting that choice (although I bought mottled red fabric). I want a softer, tenderer color. Right now it is up on my design wall with yellow "fairy dust" and pink floral fabrics auditioning as the inner border. I can move forward with the outer, patched border and I have been. To finish I think I need to set aside about two afternoons to finish with the piecing. To finish completely I will also need to make a decision about the inner border. Any comments on color will be welcomed.

The Great Unfinished Project True Confession

Yes, it's true: I have unfinished projects. I have big ones, small ones, ones I like, ones I'm not so sure about and a few that are just "what-was-I-thinking." I have some that are nearly done, some that are in full "unfinished bloom" and some that are only yet a mere suggestion of a project. I have so many, that honestly, they have begun to take up noticeable precious studio space and it has reached a crisis point where I can no longer do my favorite thing -- start new projects!

And so to motivate me, to catalog my inventory and to formalize milestones, I will present here, for any one who cares to see, some sample*of my unfinished projects. The goal is to finish up the things I present and move them out of my studio. To help this process I will try to identify the barrier that is keeping me from finishing the project and the solution or way around the barrier.

I'll begin with an easy one. These are two pieces of dimensional fiber art/embroidery that I mostly finished in a class. They need to be framed or mounted so they can be displayed. I guess I don't know where I would put them after they are completed. To complete these I need to decide where I will put them.


*Originally I intended to document ALL of my projects that are not done but the goal is to finish some things and not to get too overwhelmed.

Later Today

The plan was to come home and work in my room on my zinnia-ish quilt. I neglected to mention that on Saturday AFTER I cleaned up my messy room and unblocked my chakrahs :-) I actually cut out the strips for the first border. But now I am so tired. There is something about very late winter days when it is sunny but cold. The bright light and the sharp wind combine to make me want to get warm and sit quietly -- and Dancing With the Stars is on tonight. So instead of finishing a project I'll post the first Unfinished Project True Confession! Coming up...

Paper Cuts

During my three-day weekend, in between concentrated cooking projects, cleaning, and generally getting ready for Easter dinner I disappeared into my room to play with my Cricut and make paper cuts. I'm pretty fascinated with them right now.

I'm also still working on digitizing designs for the embroidery machine. I did get to stitch some out on Saturday. I'll post some pictures of that soon.

Why We Blog

Yesterday for the first time I hit the "Next Blog" link at the top of the page. It was really just an idle, random thing to do but what a ride. It is like having a remote and flipping through channel after channel of other people's lives. Pre-teen girls, boy art students in London, people on vacation in New Zealand, non-English speaking people who take lots of photos of themselves in very brief up-to-the-minute clothing and lots of new moms sharing baby pictures. Its a bit addictive.

It got me thinking about why people do this. The art student said posting makes him feel like he did things and I could sense a little flicker of truth in that. It does often times make my activities seem more significant. It also offers me an opportunity to lend significance to my activities. Hours and days and years rush by and I heed them not. But when I face the blank box under the title tag I look for meaning. That is not such a bad thing. There may be none but I know I'll never find it if I don't look.

And...I know I'm going to hit that link again.

2008 Flower Show Pictures

I have a lot of my Philadelphia Flower Show picture up now.

More Photos from the Garden of Quilts Show

Crazy quilts were a special exhibit and these were two pretty ones. I liked this 30's prints and baskets are always a favorite of mine. I guess the small wool piece is not really a crazy quilt but it is using many little pieces, details and embellishments.

A Garden of Quilts...

...and DGF went with me! I couldn't believe it. She has never went to a quilt show with me. It was a small show and one of the closer ones I've been to. A nice benefit was getting the names of quilt shops that are close. I now have a bunch of new ones to explore. I also have some pictures of the quilts. It was pretty crowded when we arrived and I wasn't able to get maker information about each one but I did for some.

I liked this one and the photo gives you a sense of being at a little quilt show. Very sweet.


I always like Asian motifs and themes -- especially Geisha panels and this is one of the nicest ones I've seen in a while.

Digitizing for My Sewing Machine

For some reason after a couple of years dabbling with digitizing designs for my Bernina I can do it. I'm not sure why and I'm not saying the quality is great but I am actually digitizing the Art Deco/1920s basket designs and stitching them out! I kind of thrilled and a little surprised. I'll add pictures soon.

Now I'm on a search for images of more baskets and the Deco/20s/30s/40s images I love to digitize and stitch more of.

And So to Bed...

I can't seem to stop posting! Its great fun to put pretty new quilts up.

This weekend Iwant to start my project confession! I'm going to post all -- most? some? of my unfinished projects. Being so close to finishing up the NY Beauty is inspiring me to take inventory and finish more things.

Wizard of Oz

Fun and charming. All machine done. Really perfect technique for the theme.

A Favorite From Fiber Force

I loved this quilt. I like the uneven-ness and the fringe-y edges as well as the layered images. This was part of a collection called Fiber Force: A Futuristic Approach. It makes me think of the recycled denim orange peel quilt I did before the Holidays. I want to go back to the idea now and continue the painting/stamping/imaging things I started with the left over circles a few weeks ago.

More Ruching

I think this is Willow Way - A Folk Art Farm by Cheryl Lynch. Again, its a large quilt with much presence. It has a happy feeling but its also sophisticated. I like the ruching.

Dish Pattern, Contemporary, Innovative?

I love everything about this quilt: the color, the dots and the sunburst-type pattern. Laurinda Liang paper-pieced, hand and machine quilted.

Fairies at the Bottom of My Gardern

Very detailed illustration of the Victorian-era poem embroidered along the bottom. This quilt has a lot of texture and maybe some applied embroidery.

Actually I might say that the very textured embroidery is another trend that is emerging.

Best Pictorial

Joyce Hughs, raw-edged applique, paint, piecing and embellishments. The flowers are very pretty and look to be embroidered-on silk ones.

First Place Innovative

Kitty Corner by Janet Fogg won for First Place Innovative. It is a step beyond a Contemporary Traditional, innovative is a good descriptor. I didn't take a good enough picture of the information sheet to know if the appliquéd cat is raw-edged. I do think it is. The piece is an impressive 90 x 90. It has great presence. It is a wonderful quilt.