Quilt A Long

So. . . I'm keeping up now!

I think he liked it!!!

Accomplishing

Well, there has been the colds, the Holidays, and really, the general disinterest in the sewing room lately. I put together a garment rack and got it up in my studio so all the colors of the rainbow are now clearly well represented by t-shirts in my wardrobe. My new shoes are organized. There is some residual clutter that I am dealing with as a result, but overall the result is pleasing.

I am working on my blocks of the week (catch-up) for the quilt a long, and have finished my part of a round robin for quilt group, so soon I will be back to the art quilt that nags at me on my design wall. The sun is nice today, and it lifts the mood toward the new year ahead.

All in all this has been a year of trial for me. I am expecting the year ahead to hold more cheer. I have been contemplating my resolutions, and so far only one stands out to me, and that is that I would like to sew more garment and utility items. I feel like I have been doing a lot of quiltmaking and that that has been taking over my creative time. Some of the items I would like to sew are:
1. Lounge pants
2. Sundress out of cotton lawn
3. A carry all bag
4. A patchwork purse
I will get to the storage cart covers, hopefully start sewing on them after the party I am throwing this next week.

Thought for the new year:

An easy hobby is a boring hobby-

Cheers

Colors cheer me up in the month of December. So I appreciate them wherever I stumble upon them. This is a shot of me brushing off radishes. Did you know that radishes are a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, beta-carotene, folic acid and vitamin C?

I will get the lights on the tree tonight. I will get the lights on the tree tonight. Yet for now as the wind howls and the rain whispers against it, I will keep my joy during the doings of little things.

What's Up In The Studio

I have the cure for that need to fabric shop that strikes at odd moments and won't leave you alone. Open up a tub of your scraps and iron them, get them ready for a larger purpose.

I'm smothered in cookie dough, but finally it is in the fridge- waiting. I steal a few moments to myself- maybe I will catch up on my blocks since I am BEHIND in the quilt-a-long. Bright fruit can cheer on a winter day.

I have the peace that comes with a freshly cleaned house which smells of lemon, and soon buttery dough. I will get two cookies, and the rest are off to be exchanged tonight. The peanut brittle is packed away from me.

There is a quilt that needs wrapping.

DON'T DO IT. (No, I am not a fabric snob)

Women, you know who you are. Men, you're guilty too. You are out there spending tons of time on your creations and you are using subpar materials from big box stores that fade, bleed, come apart, and will not last or endure in the fine projects they are worked into.

Fabric companies make special runs for these stores, and so the quilt shop will get the same print on a better good, while this print for the big box store is done on a cheap base cloth. Didn't you ever wonder about the price variation?

I know this one quilter who is so defensive about using fabrics from a big box store. She defends this all the time, and quite frankly I respect her choice to use crappy fabrics and I don't argue with her. I just wonder, since she is such a good piecer, why she doesn't value herself and her work enough to use better materials, materials which will ensure that her wonderful quilts will outlive herself and her grandchildren. We are not talking about a woman who could not afford the slightly higher cost.
Why sacrifice excellence for a few dollars?

Now there are some times when using cheap fabric is applicable. For drafting patters, or making costumes or things that will get used once and don't need to last, and for the occasions when you find just the right print that is unique and cannot be found elsewhere.

Yet why risk using fabric that will bleed, possible ruining a quilt you have spent hours on? Now I know that even fabric (read batiks) from quilt shops can bleed, but in my experience that is very rare and any fabric shop of merit will take that fabric back no questions asked. Every purchase I have made of cotton quilting fabric from a big box store, I have been unable to stop color loss from. I have also been upset about the quality of it after it has been prewashed. So I just stopped purchasing it.

Why do I want to just scream at these women -
"YOU ARE WORTH USING GOOD MATERIALS!" This is your legacy, and what do you want that gift to be? Now people can argue cost difference with me, but my reply is a firm,
"Every good quilt shop or fabric store has a sale table of high quality goods, and quite frankly I would rather sew with first rate fabric that is on sale, than cheap fabric if they are giving it away."

I know that quilting is a tradition that evolved from taking the useful parts out of worn out garments and household items, and that this was the material that the original quilts came from. Utility in quilt making is a wonderful quality. However, most women today making creations quilting have to buy materials. They have a choice to make, a vote to cast with their dollar. The American consumer is choosing crap, time and time again, for what?

I plead of you, as a patriot, as a lover of fabric and quilts and all that is of textile-
if you are going to put your time into something, have the courage to use good materials. Pursue excellence in craftsmanship please, and this starts with the best materials that are available to the craftsman.

Have you ever wondered what our world would look like if everyone voted for cheap garish fabric with their dollars? Think about it. No innovative designers, no fabric companies pushing for quality and ingenuity. What are our quilts going to look like in fifty years? I for one, don't want whomever gets my quilts repairing holes or worse shoving them under the dog because all the fabrics have bleed into one another or they are so threadbare that they are useless.

I admit, I am a little firm in my view. Think twice about what you purchase for your art. Buy cheap toilet paper, whatever. But don't you dare buy cheap fabric for your quilts. You're worth more than that, my friend.

As I Thought...

You Are Christmas

More than most people, you are able to find magic in life's small moments.Traditions mean a lot to you, and you tend to be quite nostalgic.You are a giving, kind person who really understands the true meaning of holidays.You inspire others to be as altruistic and caring as you are. What makes you celebrate: Tradition and a generous spirit At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The storyteller. You like to recount memories with everyone. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Give a gift to everyone you know

http://www.blogthings.com/whatholidayareyouquiz/">What Holiday Are You?

"If it isn't a ROSE it's a weed"

And I thought I had an odd affection for roses. The characters in:
Otherwise Normal People - Inside The Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening (Aurelia C. Scott)
are on the level to which I aspire. These are people who have pursued their passion to the point of excellence.

My favorite character in the book is Clarence. With his pots, and his garage full of roses and rose paraphernalia, he clearly wins the affection of every rose buff. His ingenuity concerning the gadgets he creates for the the care of his roses is amazing. I admire how he keeps trying new ideas out, and I vow to remember that this trait is a hallmark of excellence.

The only thing is, that for myself, instead of showing roses competitively, I have always wanted to use my roses to bless other people, so I give them away to surprise people. Maybe this book will make me want to show my roses at a later date - who knows?
For now the roses are dormant, enriched by melted snow, and what is a rose gardener to do in the winter beside wrinkle the nose smelling the new varieties that do not exist yet in their collection - well read about them, of course.

What To Take Away

Quilt group is on Fridays. I readily admit myself an old fart. This was hanging on the wall where we meet. It is 1800's old, and if one looks closely, it looks like the yellow and green were home over-dyed. Each square of white (sheeting) has a different quilting motif and one is signed by the maker.

This quilt inspired thoughts about how quilts and works of needlework and fiber art in particular can emit to others waves of emotions. For instance, examining the details of this quilt I deduced a fanciful story of a quiltmaker who used old bed sheets and the little ugly scraps she had, and with a little resourcefulness, created a soft spoken beauty of great wonderment.

Producing imaginative quilting motifs and gentle curving stems, this maker must have felt some sadness and yet sought to create a soft lightening result with her work. Was it to go in a small bedroom? And why do I get such a pleasant and calm vibe from this work?

Do quiltmakers and artisans deposit their soul in works? Can this soul be recognized and transmitted in a tactile interpretation of a viewer? I get this every once in awhile with objects of art. I have this gut reaction not dependent upon a like or dislike for an object, which conveys to me the mood and character of the maker. I appreciate the window into who they were and what was important to them e.g. lots of colors, lots of pieces, overall theme etc.

I am tucking these thoughts away for later, and I will think about what my art says, how it speaks, how during the process when I create, I can factor in these seemingly imperceptible entities.

So many emotions go into our art. Is that good? I know when I bake or cook and my mind is not balanced, my product is not balanced. I also know that when I go to sew, I use that as a balancer, as a de-stressing function. Does that mean I channel that into my art for others to perceive?

The snow did fall, the rain is removing the dappled white. The hills are accumulating and I feel the bare of the trees a little sad. So I focus on my orchid, and the houseplants sheltered mysteriously from cold. The day will move beyond the grey outside and reveal color.

Pocket Full Of Wisdom

So how was everyone's turkey day? Mine was good, good defined as not having to do any cooking. Nice to have a day off from that once in awhile. I am contemplating whether or not ice cream is allowed after working out???

Here is my wondrous arrangement, I produced it just before Thanksgiving for a grand total of about 75 cents. The basket was a gift and it just begged to be filled with flowers. Rather than rushing right out to do this idea that popped into my head, I waited, and then was able to scoop up some clearance stems.

The Canadians are saying it may snow, and I got that feeling just before I turned on the radio and heard about it, but according to my weather station is it 35 degrees. Maybe tonight! It would go so well to the Christmas music that I have been working to.

Without further blathering, here is my block bad pic, but finished and posted! #2:

I was curious today as I drove home, just what role the creation of beauty plays into our life purpose. I could do something, or I could go the extra mile, and do something well and beautiful. I think of being creative and using those inspirations that assail me in quiet and busy hours alike; and I find that living out those visions is surely a way to fulfill the purpose of one's life.

Walking along the seashore yesterday I found myself gathering little bits. The water was an icy calm and the tankers where at the dock for their loads. My sweetie got lost somewhere up in the bushes picking rose hips, and I walked on solitarily and slowly with my face bowed to the gems of the beach. The drift was large and fresh from the winds not much over a week ago, and I wanted to sit, but soon required movement to keep warm.

I walked to the white rock and turned around, releasing some unknown bunch of feathers to the wind, and reaching up to sweep the hat off of my head. The beach teaches much to a quilter, a fiber artist, or anyone whom seeks to create beauty with color in their lives.

I will take these thoughts with me, if I can hold them close without the demands of the day interrupting, and I will close the door to the studio and play, pocketing the meaning of life along with the rounds smooth stones and the little teeth of glass shards that followed me home to rest in the warmth.

Grandmother's

I was happily oblivious to the conversations going on around me, flipping through an old cookbook, the neat kind that are the accumulated pile of everyone's recipes. So a little surprise awaited me, a recipe submitted by my husband's grandmother. A Grandmother which in her elder years, he was kind enough to run dinner over for.
So tonight in the oven is:

Chow Mein casserole:

1 lb hamburger (I think ground turkey would be good)
1 c. chopped onion
1 can mushroom soup (I used organic)
2 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 c. uncooked rice (I used a mix)
2 c. water

Brown hamburger, then celery and onions. Mix with all other ingredients. Put into a casserole and bake about 1 1/2 hours at 350.

Simple and easy, and I double it just for fun, maybe that will buy me some extra time to finish that quilt this weekend so I can have it wrapped up for the nephew - who just got a new bed!

Quilts, Pace of Life

The pace today is slowed, but I still have a pace, and I suppose some days that is the best anyone can ask! Just enjoying the hours of this beautiful day. Here is the quilt that was finally pinned with help of my quilt group. It is rolled up and waiting in the studio, until I finish up the last bit of my other one. And it will happen before Christmas.

Details






The tentative plan is to do some tiny circles or stippling around the house in the center to make it stand out, and then I think I will design a free flow rose motif to quilt in the square area of the chain. This quilt is a cal-king coverlet size. So it is large, and I worry it may be more like years and years before I finish the machine quilting on this puppy.

I'm getting some strength back after the harsh cold that everybody all over seems to be getting.


I want to make this quilt. Am I the only weirdo that takes picture of the T.V. screen during movies? Can anyone guess the movie? I'll type it at the end of the post. What I like about this quilt is the worn look that the color gives off. It has a nautical feeling, but also a heart of folk. I have been looking for the right blue for the background, and then I realized that it was probably an original navy that has worn and faded. With such a large block it would go together quick and be a great gift for a guy.
I however have projects to finish before this, and want to spend more time on some fabric painting/stamping/coloring. Maybe I could dye some fabric this summer for it? This could be a time when E-Quilt comes in handy.
As I write, the cows are headed into the barn, a giant black and white one stopped to munch a little. Now he is hustling to catch up. The clouds hug the mountain low at the foothills, but all around it is clear and blue sky. The fields are damp and wet and a deep chartreuse. I am grateful the wind has left and I am starting to think I would like a little snow around the homestead.
(Little Women)

Quilt A Long

My block!

So this is my first Quilt-a-long. Crazy Mom Quilts got me inspired do to the challenge. A coincidence occured due to me looking at my stack of thirties prints the day before I read her blog and thinking I need to do something with those. I took it as a sign to take action, so I did. (I just watched the Celestine Prophecy if you are wondering.)


So much has been going on in the studio. My machines have been humming, the lights hungrily burning fossil fuels to illuminate the tall space. I am really pleased with all that I have been accomplishing, most of it in small chunks of time when they become available. During the power outage, I made the pattern for the storage cart covers, and got all the pieces cut out. I can't wait for some extra time to sew, and my goal is to have these done, along with another quilt which only requires a couple more rows of quilting before I will post the product.

You can see the clear plastic I used to draft the pattern on. This allowed me to see where I positioned the piece on the pattern of the fabric. That way I also have a record if I ever want to make another in the future. I fold up all my used patterns, put them in Ziplocs and then file them in their correctly labeled tub. The pattern covers the Costco wire shelving that is on casters.


I have also been achieving small steps on my art quilt project which has been hogging the design wall, whispering to me that it is feeling neglected amid all my other utility projects.

Product Review: I was surprised to find these at my local art store, so I put them to the test:


I want to get to stamping some more fabric, I feel something coming that I will want to do with them, but I haven't defined what it is yet. Anyone have ideas? I also have some new embroidery cards that I want to try and specifically some Christmas ones.
In other news, the homestead is quiet today, Moby plays softly in the background and I am all dressed up to go over to relatives for dinner. I must say that my hair looks really good, which surprised me it has been wild lately. I'm looking forward to the drive and some time with my sweetie.

Workmanship

I have had some good times in the studio lately, and will post the pics when I get some time.
However overall I have been contemplating workmanship. My grandmother is preparing to leave her house of many years and looking over some of the contents I can't help but notice all the "Made in the U.S.A." Then we look around today, and that is almost non-existent.
What happen to workmanship and craft? How do I focus on this during my studio time? I live in this rush rush world, but I go in my room and try to slow, and to focus on artfully arranging and constructing something original, and yet I find myself wanting to hurry it up? How does the artist balance the need to produce with the workmanship required to do their best?
Is this because studio time can be such a precious resource that when one has it there is a need to accomplish? Is it because so many things in this world are expedited and instant?

Generations

I'm noticing all these smart, talented young women who are rejecting their mother's idea that it is possible to have it all. These bloggers are forging ahead with their own ideas of how to live a life, and struggling with opposing viewpoints which neglect how important it is to run one's own race.
We each have our own experiences growing up, and all families are different- but there is a common thread here, a swing back to the 50's if you will so to speak, and I am intrigued.
Is it because our generation grew up with no clean towels, a father and mother that if they were together were so stressed out, lonely after school times, fast food, lack of mentoring and guidance, and the idea of the Boomers that to be a success one has to have career success, and the beautiful clean home and great marriage as well? I've been looking around at these women who are the mother's of my generation, and I can't help but not want what they have.
Why is that?
To me so many seem tired, worn out, overweight, depressed, regretful, and frustrated with their children and spouses. Is this just reality? I know there are lots of women in the Boomer generation who have made choices NOT to have it all. I just don't personally know very many, and so perhaps my viewpoint is off.
It saddens me, (almost had a minor in women's studies)that women have come so far, and yet there is this great divide. And we seem to judge so harshly (yup, I'm guilty) and I wonder if there really is an "all" anyway, and will we reach a day where these communications are more open and the Boomers can talk with us, really talk, and maybe a whole cynical judgemental generation will go on in new/old directions because for all our flaws, we are a sharp bunch us youngsters - even if outnumbered.
Run your own race...thoughts?

Collect? Who me?

“No one expects the stamp collector to actually mail letters with his stamps. No one expects the coin collector to use his coins in a vending machine for soda. So why does everyone expect me to use my fabric collection to actually sew anything?” I’m not a fabriholic; I’m a fabric collector!"

Can't remember where I came across this statement, but it definetly has me pondering. There are untold hours of joy created from collections, and specfically merely the viewing and enjoying of them.

While I use my fabric, I know that I am not alone in possessing more than I will ever use. Quilting has definetly surpassed a subsistance art and crossed into nutzo hobby territory.

But hey, I need lots of colors!

A What?

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways.You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order.You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= Mythological Creature Are You?

Why can't I be a mermaid?

Fabrics purchased on a trip. Hand done by a man and his son.

Enough, I am going in the studio right now,

and I am NOT coming out unless the house is on fire!

Discipline, devotion, determination, detriment?

These were rescued, that last of Love. The winds have come, and only the strong remain not wilted and shattered. Autumn, yes, it looks like a go for some studio time. I have been doing a little hand quilting in my chair, pondering as usual the purpose of life.

I was thinking about all these stitches, and how each has it's meaning, responsible somewhat for those maverick thoughts on random subjects that are sewn into layers.

Ode To Future Girl

Future girl has a post one must not miss. If only to prove that I am not the only messy Marvin when it comes to studio time. I love these peeks into other's work spaces. The hard evidence that when there is accomplishing there is also a wake of fiber.

Although I don't use her particular method for floss, I do laud her utilization of foraged containers to re-use.
Life has been a little luny lately, but I'm holding on to my peace.
Can't wait to pick out a pumpkin!

It's Worth It!

What are you doing in your life that is WORTH IT! That is something I have been thinking about as I transition to eating a whole foods diet. The washing and the chopping and the trail of dishes. It's worth it. I feel better. I'm inspired by all the colors that I am eating. And things taste so much better??

Feeding the horse I befriended.
Always have a couple carrots up your sleeve. Wander the neighborhood looking for glory- one can find it in creatures great and small.



Getting rid of the plastics in my pantry. Aren't jars just a little more romantic anyway?

Sewing is also worth it. It takes times like these when you can't quite make it into the sewing mood to realize that one should just go for it. The trail will end, forge one that is ever changing and full of new possibilities. If you aren't doing anything new/different/consistent, then it's just not that fun. Breathe in the mountain air, pet the smooth silken horses nose tip while he wiggles for the last of the local carrot; clear out what doesn't work in your life and make room for beautiful new volumes of words, phrases, and delights.
Tell the sun goodnight as if you'd never see it again. Follow the moonbeams out your window and observe the fields before they are cut.
Wander into your weekend alive and ready to alter on an instance.

Meaning of Life

Baker Lake was blissful, the sun was warm, the breeze gentle yet strong. And in a place such as this one wonders, looking at the forgotten tree stumps, the remnants of fires, just what is the meaning of life?

A little frog jumped up on a rock beside the water, and I hope that is a sign of good luck. I wondered if he questioned why he was here. And so I make my point that sometimes maybe life has no meaning/purpose but just existing as the little frog sitting just on the edge of where the water lapped upon him.

Pause Awhile

In modern day life it is so very easy to loose touch with things that are alive. This week I found myself planting some new houseplants and searching for the neighborhood cat I named shadow. She is a grey stunted tailed feline that likes to drool and rub against your ankles, but she only likes to visit briefly. The deer family was quite adventurous and though not pictured, the young fawn briefly nibbled in the yard. I love to watch them, but roses are their chocolate, so they also incite worry. So far only a couple roses met their death through untimely munches by the neighborhood animals.

I am making shopping bags for the grocery store so that I might save a tree or an oil well. They will be far more elegant loaded in the back of my small SUV. Sorry, no hybrids for me. I serged and re-in forced stitched then so they will be strong. However I decided to make them small enough so that I can carry them.

lay out cut up bag & add seam allowance pin back together cut out pieces serge and then reinforce stich with heavy thread

At quilt group today I sewed the back for a quilt we are going to donate to charitable auction, and I am pleased with the quilt that my donation produced. It sure will be nice to have it bless someone else, rather than have it another project waiting in the que in my sewing room.

I finished a natural root beer, and I have a contented tiredness on this Friday evening. Sure there are things that I would like to do, and yet sometimes one requires time not really doing much it order to be renewed for creative activities. I have been focusing a lot on making changes in my life this year. I started with exercise, and now I am holding my own with three times a week doing water aerobics. I have moved on to whole foods, and have eliminated process foods from my diet. I never really thought of my self as able to make a transition to a whole food way of eating, but I did it, and so could you. I have evolved to the point where I am using foods for their medicinal properties. I keep asking my friends about what they are changing in their lives, and they keep laughing at me and not saying much and it leads me to wonder how are they improving???
I don't watch T.V. Yes, that's right. I don't watch it, and it was one improvement that has made my life more tangible. With T.V. there is nothing to show for one's time at the end of the hour. I tuned into life, and it has brought immense satisfaction and reward.

I Finished!

So I finished a piece, after a little pause to obtain the purple thread that was dark enough for the moutians. Whale Horizons is a small art piece that is hand painted and free-motion quilted. I have fun working on this scale sometimes because I tend to do things big, did I say big, I meant huge. So I feel some sense of accomplishment at the end of the week. Labor Day may hold some time for me in the studio as we are sticking around home. I hope others are doing something more exciting.
I have some similar hand painted fabrics to embellish and have created a series. I think that I might even try to sell them sometime. I really felt that this piece didn't want a binding, so I serged around the edge in grey thread. I like it.
I potted some house plants today and they are uplifting. So nice to have something alive in our modern homes.

Quilt I'd Love In My Bedroom

You ever stop the car to take pictures??
I do.

What Happened To The Other 2%?

You Are 98% Creative

You are an incredibly creative person. For you, there are no bounds or limits to your creativity.Your next creation could be something very great... Or at least very cool!

http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= Creative Are You?

The giant firs stand upright, charcoal in grey sudsy air. I have a bit left of my tea, and it's warmth luxuriates in porcelain as I inhale damp mist. Soon I will whirl into motion. I love to pause in the morning for just a minute to take in the fresh feeling that accompanies the start of a day. Each has such a different mood and song and I would hate to rush so and leave the refrain to drop.

There is enough breeze to buoy the sheer, and I brush it with my palm and walk out onto the deck. Yesterday was a challenging day, but it was filled with blessings, it just depends on how I choose to view it. I coped with a little fabric therapy, as I figure that is a much more rewarding and cost effective route. The secrets, anguish, which becomes buried in the fibers we purchase and set about designing with. Each piece carries a little hope or a bad memory. As a capsule of the despair of not knowing what to do, we acquire so we can remember an instance with a fabric. It soothes us somehow, even just sitting on the shelf. It excites when an unexpected association becomes apparent with another old friend, and a new idea is born. The glory when it is sewn.

Maybe in making a lot of changes in my life, I have left behind the other 2% of my creativity. Maybe the missing two percent is under a pile of fabric and stifled by the threads that haven't yet been put away from a time before. Perhaps I have it, but it is unused, stifled by the noise of accomplishment and daily life in the needing of having that 2% anyway?

I am due for some time, a block of time in the studio. It gets irritating when life gets in the way, and I think that is the 2% surely. The damp air spurts me onward. The fog is cocooning, it is slowing almost with the atmosphere of obscurity. I delight in this weird, maniacal summer of never ending weather surprises. It is like nature lost it's 2% too, and is making all these changes just to join into the fun. Fore she is a mother of many fabrics, woven textures defined by an invisible wizard whom seeks- to lure, to fascinate, and tempt.

Breathe and have peace and quiet

It is Tuesday and that mere fact leads me to wonder shouldn't I feel more powered up? Well, the day has been lackluster if you wanted to focus on the weather outside. The sunrise is from another morning. Inside however there has been a lot of accomplishing. I made healthy muffins and granola, so alas something for breakfast. The house smells warmly of oatmeal and cinnamon, and I am just slightly unsure where the summer went.

I am reflecting on the sewing party I hosted with some girlfriends, most didn't really sew and I was pleased at their digging in and trying something new. I think they had a good time. I got the idea to make notecards with a theme word. I used: wind, forrest, waterfall, mountain, sunset, and winter and told the girls to create a block with that word as an inspiring theme. I sat out my three mega tubs of scraps which are separated into light, medium, and dark, and told them they could use anything out of the bins.

It is so amazing how different everyone's imagination is. Not only do people look all different,

but they all have unique imaginations as well. The finished blocks! So the party was a success, and I am hoping to sucker them all into coming over for enough times to get a quilt.

I know this may be a small thing for many people, but I have always wanted milk in the glass bottles. Now not only do I find this local milk in glass, but to find it with a blue top-

My affection is won.

I sure goes good with the granola, still just a bit warm.

I was thinking on silence today, it seems rather quiet up here in my neck of the woods, maybe because I wasn't playing any music, or perhaps because it just seemed still, but I appreciated the quiet. I feel like our nation is deprived of solitude and my heart go out to the stressed out everywhere.

Ah, Just A Break

Today I went to quilt group and learned how to pin a quilt using stretcher bars. I've never done that before, but I quite liked the experience. It was fun to do something together with other women, and that is something one misses in the studio all alone absorbed in their own stitches. It seems I am always putting a kink in my back trying to safety pin all over the living room. It got me inspired for quilting all those quilts to finish, but alas my swollen hand. Shouldn't be typing really.
The kitchen is slicked up and I Miracle Growed everything this morning. I made a bread pudding out of leftover croissants and it looks marvelous. A nice big salad, even with broccoli in the fridge. Next a dressing.
I have gotten the studio cleaned and look forward to some spare moments this weekend to putter on finishing some odds and ends so I can start on that home-dec storage project next week after I throw a big barbecue.
The studio is stocked and waiting, although it could always use more embroidery threads. I feel in the mood for cutting so I may even pull out the civil war quilt and do a couple blocks. Well off to start the hot part of dinner and thinking of restful seas.

Do Something Creative Today

Even if that means just getting dressed with lots of color! I notice that the people that seem more cheery and interesting are often dressed in loud color. Particularly this lady I saw wearing turquoise pants, a hat with white and orange patterned brim, and a shirt of an entirely different hue. I thought for a moment about the absurdity of the outfit, before realizing that on her it didn't entirely look bad, in fact I much appreciated her sensibility as it seems age makes change and mixing things up all the more hard for people.
I sprained my hand, so the studio accomplishing has halted for now. I will let my knuckle rest up and in the meanwhile will do a little organization.
I have again been pondering the meaning of life. I get stuck sometimes with fascination on all the different journeys' that people undertake in this life. How do choice and fate mix? And what of the hand of God? If this earth is a school, then our challenges make sense due to the concept that good comes in the form of learning. But what is there to gain from disease and troubles that have always plagued mankind? Forgive me because maybe I delude myself with the waterfalls of books that occupy curiosity thus inviting these enigma's to rest a while. Suntan even. Sometimes I feel like the quest for understanding the purpose of life is as the ant which frenzies about bearing the burden of large crumbs for another. Perhaps this issue is the largest question mankind has found to ask other than where do we come from?
Why does color lift the mood? Why am I on a bean sprout kick? How come the clouds have to hid the stars?
I think creativity hinges on people doing new things. As if flux and determination could gel into a pudding for consumption, or the wave flee the ocean.

Summer

Weekend activities like crab cracking can cut into studio time, but when it is warm and stuffy in there with all that fabric, there are other activities that even the most nutty fiber artist will retire to. Here in the northwest we grab summer with claws because we know all too well the stainless steel skies that hang around sea side locals after these few fleeting months.

There are countless roses to be deadheaded, and I feel really blessed. The left-handed Felco's may work over time to keep the roses flowing. I'm still waiting for "Leda" and it is using up my patience.

The breeze ruffles the sheers and slams a door. Sweet, almost boy band hip hop syncopates soothingly on the system, and my thoughts are optimistic as the butterfly shaped clouds whisk by wanting a taste of my bubbling ginger ale, my drink of choice at times like this.

I accomplished some more free motion quilting on my Whale Horizon, and I am stopped due to one particular thread choice, (I find my vast jumble of noosed thread somehow inadequate in the purple range). I have been thinking of just serging the edges in black thread and calling that a frame??

My home-dec. projects are stacking up. So much to be done; and this mermaid begs for my attention gracefully arching on my design wall anticpating a head of famous hair.

Whale Horizion

This is the latest work. It is one of the pieces that I sun painted/dyed/painted. While painting the fabric I had the free-motion designs in mind and left areas open to thread play. The colors are kind of soft and muted, and even the bright (on the spool) Madeira thread seems to sink in and add the bold but gentle color that I was looking for.

What kind of quilting designs are in a Whale's Horizon? Mountian peaks, sea, trees, foliage, the sun? Stay tuned for the water, which I hope to finish tonight. Why do I seem to blank on quilting motifs when I sit down to the machine?