Looking for Signs

  Yes, I know it's the season and the hurricane is heading in this direction next week.  Yes, I know the calendar says it is mid-September and it should be cooler.  Yet, without a few signs I would not believe that Fall is on the way.  It is about 84 degrees with 80% humidity.....so it feels like at least a 100 degrees outside! 




It is way to hot to have a quilt in the lap for quilting even at the machine.......So  I went looking for signs.....

   The small shrub rose in the back is having the second blush of blooms.  If the Fall is mild enough, some of the roses will hang on until November.    The hummingbird feeder hangs just above this bush.  It is good to enjoys the beautiful blooms and watch the antics of those hummingbird above. 

   Lady Writing Spider returns once again this year.  Always by late August, we can find one of them in the back garden.  This year, we have spotted three webs with writing. 

 Usually I am running the other direction when I see a spider....had a very bad reaction to a bite once......but I like to see her work the magic into her web.  She is a huge one, easily 2'' long, and the writing strand is about 6'' long.   Oh....and please ignore the weeds that appear in the midst of the browning daylilies:)








    And this sign must be a sign.....I know I illegally saved it, but could not resist.
I would love this to post on my sun room wall.  It's a perfect reminder that tomorrow will be a better day. 

   I always can use a swift kick by Dr. Seuss to keep me looking up, remind me the glass is half full, and just keep getting back up.  For sure, Fall is coming. 
 

Windows or wings?

    This one was just for fun, to use up some fabric, and stimulate a bit of creativity.   I am not sure if I see windows or wings.....and it will need a border when sewn.    I will get it fused to interfacing next, and then sew up my rows. I see a spot or two to tweak and then I will fuse.









And before any one asks.....no pattern for this.  But I did convert the photo to black and white for you.  Click on the photo to enlarge and print....or save to your computer for later.  It will give you a guide for the fabric value for blending  to create a graphic design like this.

 As for using fabric up.....that did not really happen because a soft squishy package arrived in the mail.   Floral fabrics ordered from Exuberant Color were delivered and I foresee projects in the future.   That is after  I get one quilted and another one sewn.  It will give me time to make some plans for these lovelies.
Happy stitching.   

Challenge 5 for Project Quilting

Garden Gate page 28

   The challenge was to select a magazine or printed publication and turn to page 28, and use that page for the inspiration of this week's project.  Sounds easy....except we had recently discarded and cleaned out a lot of old magazines, so my selection was limited!
   I decided to use the first one I found.   Garden Gate page 28---- it was a lovely view of a front entrance garden of white tulips planted in mass.    It was easy to zero in on one white tulip but what else?  
   I liked the contrast of the deep green plantings against the cedar shake and faded brick of the  house.  Looking closer I noticed the weathered  blue shutters.  So I drew inspiration from the subject as well as the colors.

Simply White 

 To the stash closet and there I found the fabric to use for the background that closely resembled the soft colors of the house.
  The background  is pieced with strips of varying widths.   The tulip and leaves are machine appliqued.    Very simple, very white.....thus the name is Simply White.   Sometimes less is more.

 
  This mini banner is 12" by 14".












   I liked that  the challenge topic was different take on what we would normally get.  And thankfully, we were not sent to the hardware store or grocery for inspiration!   There should be great variety in the entries for this challenge.   To view all the entries on Flickr Group, click here.
   One more place to look for inspiration....... Happy stitching.

A Winter View

   When I first saw this pattern in a magazine several years ago, I was struck by the  strong graphic effect of the trees against the white.  It is not my usual style of quilt, but the cardinals were the deciding element for me.    I claimed the cardinal as my symbol of hope a few years ago, and  put one on every quilt I make.

  Originally I had planned to add some applique in the outer border.  I thought twigs and berries.  But when I laid the first part of the applique on the quilt,  I quickly changed my thought.  I felt the applique only drew attention away and changed the graphic effect.   Instead I added a couple more cardinals to the branches.

  The actual construction was simple enough....it was getting the tree branch angles sections lined up that drove me crazy at first.  I had to trim down a couple of them, making the branch section a tiny bit narrower than intended.  I just added a narrow filler strip of white on the ends to get the correct width for the row.  And you would never have known, would you.

   And swirls----swirling snow, wintery winds---soften the stark white background.  Some swirls for free motion quilting that is not too dense, yet creates movement and texture.   Actually, the white background is a mix of several white on white fabrics.  I finally used up my stash of those and had to finish off with solid white.
 









   In 2010, we had a huge snow storm.  The bright red cardinals are always so stunning to see perched on the branches of our wild cherry tree.    So I am calling this quilt, A Winter View.












 
       And that's the saga of my  tree quilt.   I heard from several of you who are planning or working on this one.   So before the snow flies and the cold winds blow, get going!  I look forward to seeing them.

Update note:   This pattern is from 2009, I believe.  It is available in a newly released book called Quilting in Black and White.  

   I am finishing up a slight detour from the strings....yet it includes a few strings too.  I needed a little table topper for the season change.
Happy stitching.

Bonus FMQ from photos

   Can you believe September  has flown by?   So I better get this bonus tutorial by Susan Brubaker Knapp posted for the  Free Motion Challenge.   This is good info, but sure to check it out.   Last week I took photos  outside for the first part of the challenge.  This morning I got down to work and put the needle to one.
    I used a regular lead pencil to trace the design onto fabric.   I had a question about the   Sewline pencil    last week that I some times use.  It is designed  for marking fabric and can be erased or washed out.   I do love it for  marking diagonals for HSTs and applique.  Today I could not find it---too much cleaning and it got misplaced---so I just used a regular pencil.  
     I don't mark a lot of quilting lines usually, but I will try to remove obvious marks.  I am not a perfectionist, nor do I quilt for show entries....so what is a stray mark or two on a quilt that is to be used?

  I stitched the design....missing a few marks along the way.  Then I decided to fill in a bit of the extra space with overlapping leaves from another photo inspiration.
  So what did I learn from this?  First take photos....lots of them.  Second:   Look for the designs or repeated patterns for inspiration.   Third: enjoy the freedom..... Mix it up when stitching.  
   
One final note---the light I ordered for the machine is the Ecolux 6 light LED .  It is a very tiny strip of 6 LEDs that mounts under the neck extension of the machine.  I tried it today for the first time and noticed a huge difference.  I am still dealing with some shadows, but it is so much better.

Thread sale and such

  At Fabric.com  there is a weekend sale on threads and notions!  I am a long time customer and have always had excellent service from them.
The Aurifil 50 wt. thread is on special  $9.33  per 1300 meter spool......too good to pass up for me.  Since I raved on about this thread in my last post, I wanted to pass this sale on to all.
Shipping is free with a $35 order, and be sure to check out the clearance fabric while you visit.  And now back to our regularly scheduled post.......

   I should be finished with the quilting today on the trees quilt.  And a few more string blocks are ready to be trimmed.  I have about 2 dozen done so far....and lots more strings and strips to go.

   Kathy at Tamarack Shack  had a really good  post on quilt photography.....she always has the neatest backgrounds and great photos.  I keep saying I want better photos, but I think what I really want are interesting photo shots.  So, this weekend I hope to drag a few quilts outdoors and see what I can do with her suggestions.
Happy first day of Autumn--tomorrow ---and happy thread shopping and happy stitching.  

An eye opener day

    The Free motion challenge at SewCalGal is the one challenge / project I really committed myself to this year.  First to do all the lessons and learn some new muscle memory and techniques; second, to improve my control and quilting skills.  I needed to get out of the rut of stipple and swirl.  I missed a month along the way, but luckily we have bonus tutorials to enter as a catch-up.  Even if you are participating, take the time to read and print off the information for the future.  This challenge is a gold mine of experts.

  The bonus this month is a good one....camera, shoot, trace,  and stitch.   I wanted to do this one for sure.  So camera in hand I began looking around.  Here are a few things I found.  Looking through the camera lens I made a discovery.

    Do you see the recurrent theme....even to the design on the door mat.   Why am I fighting my overall nature?  I have surrounded myself inside the house and outside too, with similar designs.  Curls, swirls, and more swirling or twisting patterns.
   Eye opener # 1......I am feeling frustrated because I am fighting against my nature. The view thru the lens opened my eyes.   I have said over and over.....do what you love.  Then do it again.    So I will pick one of these and stitch it for this month's bonus for the challenge.

   But not today.  It is raining and just right for getting on  with uncompleted tasks.  I am ready to quilt the trees and cardinals quilt.   Bet you will never guess / figure out which pattern I decided on!   Look at the fabric I used on the tree.  Instead of fighting my nature, I am going for what I like and do best.   I am not quilting  too dense.....just enough to flattened the background and allow the trees and birds to pop a bit.

  Eye opener # 2.......Thread!   I needed white thread.  When I checked my thread bin, there was no white Isacord---my usual choice for  free motion quilting.  I did find a new spool, bought on sale, of Aurofil 50 wt.  in white.  I believe I purchased it  thinking I would  use  it for a bobbin thread.  I have read great things about it, but never tried it before.  Well, guess what?  I am a believer!  This thread stitches like a dream......I will be purchasing more.
  Some  of the white fabrics in the background have the "painted" type of design on them, which makes them  difficult to stitch through and get nice stitches.  Yet, today I have had no problem at all and the stitches look great.  Yep, my eyes got opened.
Back to stitching.

Happy dancing!

     OK, I'm not really dancing.....I promised to behave.  But I am really excited about another email from
Amy at Amy Creative Side and the Bloggers Quilt Festival .
  "Hi there!
I'm happy to tell you that you have won a prize in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Congratulations!  "

  

 What do I say, but Thank You All for encouragement and votes!  I was excited about the nomination....but now....wow!    I am not good at this....just know I do appreciate each and every follower and visitor.  I love hearing from those who stop by and enjoy all your questions and comments. There were so many great quilts to view and select....hope you enjoyed all the entries.  Thank you, Amy, for all the effort you put in on this.  

      From me to you.....the above photo was part of my inspiration for Persistence wall hanging.  The fuzzy muted background became the watercolor.  The Goldfinch perches on a branch rather than a coneflower seed head.   Yet you can't deny where my idea came from.  

Insight:   Take lots and lots of photos.  Inspiration may come from  a visual image.  

Thanks again all and  happy stitching!

Still on the design wall

 May is usually the garden month around here....gardens in bloom and garden tours.   So many wonderful  garden design ideas have found their way into our own garden from tours we have been on in the past.  I have a file folder of great photos to spark my imagination.  One year arbors were featured in the tour.  Some offered a quiet place to sit and view an area, others beckoned with a path to courtyards and fountains. 

 I  selected this photo as a starting inspiration of a water color I began last month.  I had just finished up sewing the rows together  BF--before my  fall.  And I have been staring at it on the design wall for the last couple of weeks trying to decide what else I needed to do with it besides just adding a border.    Maybe tulips or roses that I can thread paint and applique ---letting the blooms and leaves extend into the border.   Maybe some thread sketching along the fence posts as a vine.   I think I will just try sketching a couple of ideas for now...as I can't do ant stitching for a while.

Don't forget.......Amy's creative side   is hosting the Bloggers' Quilt Festival again in a couple of weeks.

I love viewing all the great quilts and projects that bloggers share during the festival.    Got your entry  planned yet?  

Happy stitching.

More negative space

    My post on negative space may have puzzled  a few of you.  It is just a design concept or principle that effects our designs whether we realize it or not.  Just realize that the negative space can enhance our quilts.  It can provide a place for the eye to rest, especially in a busy design.  This photo is part of  the upper corner  of a current small piece--fused only and not sewn.   It  shows the use of dark negative space  around the rose.  Then at the bottom you can see how the light background of the fabrics there becomes the negative space around the sprigs of flower stems.


   This photo of one of the small iris varieties that is blooming right now, and it  has a lot of dark negative space, which is full of different values---lighter and darker areas.  My eye first sees the white and yellow iris against a dark area.  Next my eye sees the next value of the lighter green.  I love how the tiny vine is winding around the bloom.  And finally the eye rests in the darker shadows.  Apply that to the next quilt you create.  What do you want to stand out and where do you want the eye to rest?  Your color and value placement in the blocks will influence the over all design and finished look.

OK, enough of that.  Chores are done and I am off to work on  this month's free motion quilting challenge.   Thanks for bearing with me.
Happy stitching.

Early morning inspiration

      First let me explain the reference to DH as Sir Old Man.  What do you give a guy when he turns 65, who  has every tool--big and small--that he needs, and who has a  designer daughter that takes him shopping and keeps him well dressed?  Exactly my position this week.   A sign hangs over his shop that reads  "the old man's garage" and that gave me the idea  to grant him a title befitting him  of  "Sir Old Man".  He can now say he is a titled Englishman. :)

     This morning the weather was perfect, cool and a slight breeze.  So coffee and scissors in hand, I went out to enjoy the garden and cut some rosemary for bread.   And I went right back in for the camera.   The callas are blooming....I love the shape and color and the leaves are striking.




 

  The purple cone flowers are in full bloom too.  The petals droop and look like a draped skirt on some of them.  This clump was unexpected....the finches must have sown the seeds for me. 

When I got to the bottom of the hill and looked back, I found a wonderful clump of day lilies.  Their strapping leaves over hanging the rough stone wall have a strong  contrast in texture and value.  So short lived--only for a day--- that I think they deserve to become a wall hanging.   I started taking photos of all the different day lilies in the yard.  

   I will do a couple of sketches, as  I  have a real strong visual in my head.  Hope I can translate it to fabric. 

Now, I better go cut the rosemary---if I can find the snips.

Happy stitching.

Details

Over at Quilter in the Gap  there is an interesting survey posted about blogs.  One of her questions was about what you like to see on blogs.  The biggest thing I like is details.....inspiration, creative process, share problems and fixes, things that work and what doesn't.  Seeing a finished quilt is wonderful and fun, but I am very interested in the process--the journey to get to the end.  That's really why I began to blog.  I am very analytical---my clinical training, I guess---and  how I get to the end is as important to me as the finished result.  Plus, I never want to stop learning ---I might miss something special.  I know I keep doing variations of  watercolors---that is my niche---by working in value, and  I have enjoyed the journey to get here.  And there are lots more avenues in value to explore.  So, on  to a journal project I worked on last night.
The process:

  I played around with a photo I found on line and managed to get a muted effect like a painting. Picasa is a great free program, and you can get some neat effects.   I printed a small version of  it out  onto a scrap of Printed Treasures.  I save all the extra pieces of PT  and this piece was just about 3 inches by 4 inches.  To get good placement when I printed,  I first printed (in B&W)  on paper and then taped the scrap of PT on top of the image.  Then I ran it thru the printer again!

  Then I went thru a box or two of scraps, looking for value that would blend or match the colors in the photo. 

Here is a close up of the photo and the fabrics I chose to surround it with.  I decided to just use straight lines when attaching the extra fabrics.  The book on blending with photos teaches the technique of extending the curves and lines of the photo onto the quilt.  The values and colors  of the extra fabrics are very close.   But since this is so small and I was just using small bit and scraps, I decided to just try to fool the eye with value---straight lines or not.  A couple of pieces of fabric were just perfect, and others close.  I fused a clump of tree (from a printed scenic fabric) on the right to extend the photo out.    This section measured about 6 " by   6"....too small, need more fabric.

  I couldn't find a perfect fabric to extend the sky,  so a ended up with a scrap of my dyed fabric from last summer.  And just a couple of angles strips on the bottom and it begins to look like a landscape.

  Final :   I did find a piece I liked to create a border, or half of it anyway.  It's on the right and bottom...the colors are good for this.  It reminded me of barn siding.  Still not large enough,  need more fabric to finish this off. 

  The last border piece is a "brush stroke" type neutral....I was getting tired of hunting thru scraps.  A narrow side piece and a wider top.   I  am  going to ignore the wonky edges because I was watching Larry, the cable guy on TV and laughing so hard.  What's a crooked edge when you having a good belly laugh. 
  If you haven't checked out all the journal quilts on Flickr--click here.  There are all types of techniques and ideas used.  Great talent and inspiration in this album.
Happy stitching.

Water color window box

I'm just getting a start on this window box for a wall hanging.  So I thought I would share the process along the way.
     I tacked up a huge section of the gridded interfacing and began with the window panes.  I am just using squares of 2 fabrics for the window panes.   Then I moved to the frame around the panes and the flower box.  Across the top of the panes and down the center,  I used 2 different fabrics of the same value and color.
  I decided on the approximate spot for the flower box, and used about 8 squares of a swirled fabric for it.   I blended from the flower box up to  and over the panes  with lots of colors and size patterns.    Last I have begun at the upper corners---very dark here--and will blend  across and down the sides. 
   It really helps to stop and take a photo to see what works and what doesn't.  Right off, I can see now that on the left, I lightened too quickly from the flower box.  That area I will rework to get rid of the hard line.  Second spot....right window pane bottom, the golden tan square has got to go.

  I am not exactly sure where I am going with this, or how large it will be.  I am taking  inspiration from a couple of photos of  English windows.  I will just see where it ends up.

Happy stitching.

The Scarlett Pimpernel struck!

Actually, I got a double whammy from the Scarlett  Pimpernel  this week. 

Number 1................This is an unfinished project from a class that the SP took.  She saw my Coral Reef wall hanging and said that this needs thread painting and lots of detail.  The colors of the fabric--which I think is hand dyed/painted--are fabulous.   It looks like the sun shining into the ocean depths.  Hmmm....I think it also needs a border area with a sandy bottom to ground it. 

Number 2...............A photo and a challenge.

Now this could be interesting to do!  Again the colors are fabulous and strong and the angles interesting.  I also love the tree bark and texture.  This will require some thought for interpretation, as well as several techniques.  Expect to hear/see more about this.
Insight:  Inspiration takes many forms and often comes from unlikely sources.  The Scarlett Pimpernel is giving me a nudge/push/shove down a more creative path.  Recognize that some times others see you better than you see yourself.

Finally...The Sunshine Award.  I was tagged this morning by Mary Lou.  Thank you, I hope I inspire.   In blogland, the Sunshine Award is  passed to a blogger  who inspired you by  their positive outlook and creativity.  The award must be shared and passed on, which in turn creates a great opportunity to share blogs you like with others.  I will be doing some tagging myself soon.
Happy Stitching.

Final AK block--I think

I think this is the last block for my AK quilt.  It is Index Lake at Victory Camp.  I used several techniques in this one, and learned a lot.  
1) For the fused pieces, I used misty fuse because I wanted to do some thread painting on the trees.   It is a lighter fusible than the "paper backed" variety and so it is easier to stitch through and does not gum up your needle.  Plus I could work from the front of my design and did not have to reverse all the pieces.  It is more time consuming, but I am happy with the results.
2)  Drawing the entire block took a while.  I worked a rough sketch from a photo Deana took of the lake.  I had to eliminate a lot of details, or I would still be cutting, fusing, and stitching.  I decided on the size of the block and drew it on freezer paper.  Then I drew in the basic shapes and layout.  When I was satisfied with the sketch, I traced another one on freezer paper that I could cut part for the individual pieces.  The freezer paper pieces were then pressed to the right sides of the selected fabrics.
3)  Fabric selection to get the right values for the depth and perspective on the mountains and the shadowed area for the lake---which was frozen was important to me.  I used sun painted fabric  that I did last week for the sky. Value viewer helped and I even used the wrong side of a couple of pieces.
4)  Thread painting the trees to create the texture and branches was new for me.  Most of the thread painting that I have done has been on layers of tulle and solvy that were cut out and appliqued on.  For this I fused the trees trunk on and then did the stitching for the branches and down the sides and at the base of the trees. 
5)  Finally, I used prismacolor pencils in a few spots for highlights and shadows that I missed.
Now to decide the layout.  I had planned to use one fabric for the border and between the blocks, but I do not have enough of it.  I have searched the Internet and asked people and contacted shops in the area, but no luck.  So, I have gone to plan B.  I will use  the planned fabric for setting the blocks together.  For the border I will do a shaded braid strip....that's my next step. 
Insight:   I am so glad I did the Art Quilt Workbook projects.  I have used many of them in the blocks  for this quilt.  Thank you, Mona, for suggesting the group project.  Thank you, Elin and Jane, for writing the book.  Thank you to my project group for sticking with it. 
Insight:   Either buy larger amounts of fabric, or have a plan B.  There goes my stash busting plan and my budget!
Happy stitching.

Sneak Peek

Here's a peek at  the "blue darter" dragonflies that I thread painted.  I used 2 layers of tulle between layers of solvy stablizer.  They turned out just the right size for the wallhanging too.  I used sulky and rayon threads for a slight  sheen.  Looks great, especially for the wings.  I found a photo in a garden magazine to use as inspiration for the leaves. 

 A few more photos to take as I work for the class instructions and I can put it all together----finally.  It's a long process to develop a project and put together written instructions with photos.  I have been working on this off and on for over  2 months, so I am ready to get it done.  That's the "producer" side of me :).

  I got an email from Blog2Print that my book is on its way!  Yea....I had 2009 blog entries printed in one volume and can't wait to get it.  If I am happy with  it, I will do the first half of this year, too.
Insight:  I wanted to be a journalist....why did I wait so long?

Art Quilt Projects and stash report

Rather than letting things fall between the cracks, I have been allotting Mondays to my Art Quilt Workbook projects.   It has worked for me and I am on schedule and up to date.  I finished up the collage exercise and the theme projects.  The top photo is the collage exercise...Take the Leap.  I tried a different edge finish on this one, just a pillow case style finish.  I think I would have liked a binding better.

Over the River Nidd--Knaresborough Bridge is the collage theme project.  I had a general idea of wanting to show the sketch torn from a scrapbook, tucked away for years, and now framed to hang in my dining room.  It all came together when I got the comment from the student, Ana Lynden, and she shared her beautiful words describing the bridge.  (See earlier post for her comment).  I selected the parts I wanted to use and printed them onto fabric that frames the photo on its frayed side.  The quirky detail at the bottom is a tattered bookmark, that falls off the scrapbook edge. 

I am happy with this one....like I saved a piece of history.

One final note, I heard from Russ' cousin, Diane,  that she had been to Knaresborough because her maternal grandmother lived there. 

Insight:  I'm a quilter, and I like binding on the edge.            Inspiration may require waiting for just that right time....or in this case, comment, to bring everything together. 

This weeks Stash busting--fabric used---and none added!

2 yards for Make a Wish take along quilt

1/2yard for border and binding of watercolor

FQ and some scrap strips for labels and taggie

Total this week---2 3/4 yard