A Quilt and Brain Games

Just to give you an idea of how one builds in difficulty in what might otherwise be a relatively easy project . . . the quilt I am working on includes palm trees.  Don't even ask why; I just thought they would add the right touch to the overall composition.  Silly me.

Anyway, did I have it all planned out how I would make those palm trees before I took the quilt to the quilter?  No, of course not.  I had machine appliqued the trunks of the trees, but that was all.  This week, now that the binding is done and the two sleeves have been sewn on the back, I decided to deal with the trees before all the other embellishments I want to add.

I started with two trees.  My decision was to embroider the palm fronds, and I did it free hand with no markings on the fabric.  Two trees completed in one night.  I hated them; the green thread was too dark against the dark blue sky.  The next morning I took out all my stitches, spent some time on research (memory isn't always accurate), did a few sketches, and then that evening I changed thread colors and embroidered those two trees.  I hated them; the thread still wasn't right and the stitching while palm-frond-like still wasn't effective.  The next plan was applique.  I would cut out fronds from green fabric and applique them on the sky fabric.  I gathered the fabrics I thought would work, but I have to say I wasn't happy about the many hours of work this plan would entail.

The next morning I woke up with the correct solution sitting there in my head as though it had been there all along and was just waiting for me to find it.  Boom and it was there just smirking at me.  Wool.  That was the answer.  Wool and fusible batting to give it that little bit of three dimensional quality.  So I drew a pattern for the entire top of a palm tree, copied it on the computer changing sizes so I could fit big and little trees, found my wool and batting, and started cutting.

Tonight I blanket-stitched one top and started on the second (it will speed up as I get accustomed to shifting the entire quilt around on my lap).  I love it!

Thank you, you sneaky little brain!

Busy Evenings

After sending out a quick email, it occurred to me that I hadn't written an entry - again.  My apologies and an explanation because it will probably happen again.

I am spending my evenings doing the embellishment on a quilt that has to be completed for the October quilt show.  There is a lot to do, but I am trying to limit my work on it to evenings.  Daytime can be quite hectic with frequent interruptions - not good for concentrated work.

Question - can one be an art quilter if one's original quilts are representational "story quilts"?  Paintings are considered art and many are representational; does that hold true in the quilting world?  I don't know.

More of the Lake

Well, I was right about today.  We spent the bulk of our time scurrying around plumbing supply and tile stores hunting down items ordered weeks ago that were inexplicably not available.

Ah well, this too shall pass.  But I am tired and was not able to take pictures of the other paintings I didn't show you yesterday.  

Consolation prize - something even better than paintings.

This is what we believe is a one year old merganser duck and probably a male.  We think he's a male because he swims alone; he's too old to stay with mom and has been sent out to live on his own. You can see that his head is beginning to show signs of the rusty orange feathers.  Doesn't the lake look wonderful?  Now that's water to paint!

Here is possibly another painting.  I'd probably lose about a quarter of the left side to concentrate on the old boarded up window and the forgotten sail boat in the shallows.

And this is just because I like it.  The clouds lifting from the mountains, the still lake sliced by the fishing boat, and the sail boat impervious to it all in its calm water.

Back from Vacation

What a wonderful time we had - not that that's any surprise.  It was, after all, vacation with family in a well-known, well-loved place.  There were no surprises.  This year the weather was cool all week, and the lake at 58 degrees was too cool for me even to dip a toe into let alone my entire body, but that, too, posed no significant problem. 

Actually, it left time for reading (D did more of that than I), sewing (of which I did a little - though not as much as I thought I would), walking (an estimated three miles every morning), eating (far too much vacation leeway there), searching for bonsai specimens (D, of course - and he was successful) and painting.

What, no parenthetical comment after "painting"? you ask.  No, because I did more painting this year than any year before which made me very happy.  It made me so happy that I will share with you what I did so no need for parentheses.  While I worked on three paintings, I finished only one sketch, and that is what I will share today.  First, it's being shared because it is finished, and second, because I haven't photographed the other two, yet.

This sketch was done "en plein air" - which means I painted while sitting outside looking at my subject.  I haven't done a lot of that (this may be my second), but I have drawn en plein air frequently.  Again, my hesitation over exposing my awkwardness with watercolor inhibited me.  This year, I decided to just jump in and do in.  After all, I had E and brother D who are experienced with both painting outside and with watercolors, to help me.  And help they did.  The sky in this sketch is lumpy-bumpy looking, but you should have seen it before brother D told me how to make it better!

This experience really helped me tremendously. I overcame a long-standing reluctance and found I truly enjoyed the experience.  And I learned.  Yes, brother D helped on this one and E on another, but I think I finally internalized my biggest fault with watercolor.  I HAVE TO STOP FIGHTING THE WATER!  Sorry for the capitals screaming at you there, but I am screaming at myself (in my head, of course) because it's easier than knocking one's self "up side the head".  

Basically, it's the same thing I did one year with acrylics and one year with oils.  With acrylics I spent a year producing darn few dreadful paintings all the time disliking what I was doing because I didn't like the paint!  So I switched to oils which I truly love but spent a miserable first year painting rocks because I didn't like the brushes! So I switched to palette knife which has been remarkably liberating.  

Now it's been one year with watercolors - not miserable, but not joyous either - and my epiphany has just occurred.  I know it will continue to be a struggle, and I'll have to fight my urge to micro-manage water (ha! what an image that is!).  But I think I may have cracked this year's barrier.

Errands and Not Much More

Today was another day almost completely taken up with necessary errands that took all morning.  However, since those were important and went well (one was picking up a finished quilt from the quilter), I am not complaining.

Once home, I did have time to do some preparatory work on the quilt I cut out yesterday.  I almost finished marking the squares to create triangles so when I start sewing, I won't have to stop to do that semi-tedious task.

Then, almost before I knew it, D was back from his errand, it was time for dinner.  We're off to NYC to a ballgame and will be home late.  I am 99.75% sure I won't be awake enough to write an entry tomorrow night so I'll wish you a happy weekend now -

Relax and enjoy!

Daily Doings

It was a painting day, and I went off with my practice exercises which consisted of initial washes of color.  In class I began still another using some tips I was given, and worked on adding a second layer to last week's works.  There's nothing worth showing although, if I get photos taken, I probably will.  It's a good way to keep track of progress or no-progress-beyond-mere-changes.

At any rate, I felt good about what I'm doing and learning, and plan to continue working in the same way this coming week.  An important finding was that I really don't care for the paper I'm using.  Naturally, I prefer the far more expensive kind.  Since I am reluctant to use that as practice paper, I plan to try some middle of the road paper this week.  It's not a favorite because it doesn't have the texture of my best paper (which is bound in small sketch books), but I don't think it will show the pattern of weave through the paint as what I've been using does.

After lunch at home, I went up to the studio and put away painting gear so I could cut material for a new quilt (my cutting table serves as a watercolor painting station as well).  That's what I did this afternoon; I cut out fabric for "Scenes and Ladders", a pattern by Karen Gibbs.  My version uses a variety of fabrics I collected before the FG shop went out of business; the focal piece is a Robin Pandolph design of pink roses on a medium blue.  Why I thought it would do for the guest room, I don't know, but it will do as a quilt for a friend of our daughter's.  She likes blue and flowers.  I think I've enough different kinds of fabrics and colors to keep it from being overly precious or cloying.  We'll see.

While we watched the TV this evening, I spent another night on hand piecing.  This particular wall hanging is taking a long, long time (started last summer) because I haven't worked on it consistently.  It progresses by fits and starts as I am easily distracted by other hand work - crazy quilting, knitting, hand quilting, wool work - well, you know how it is!

Poof - and They're Back!

Yes, that is exactly what happened - Magic!  Yesterday I opened my pictures and sitting there as smug as can be were my Saratoga Track photos - snickering quietly and nudging each other over the trick they had played on me.  Well, I let them have their moment because they had well and truly snookered me.

So before they decide to gallop away again, here a few I took last Thursday:

One of my favorites - the horse all stretched out and the muddy splashes.

On the last walk about before heading back to the gate. 

A young woman with a camera dealing with the mud.

Thought I would try this function on my camera.  I like it - all except the head in front of me!

After the race - the mud is all over rider and steed.

So it's time for a shower - for the horse,  of course!

I like the juxtaposition of live action with videoed action behind.

The track workers dealing with the mud after the tractors went through.

A well-deserved break.

Not the expression and body language on horse and man with snap on something or other.

Sometimes the worker horses show a bit of temperament, also!

I came home with approximately two dollars in winnings; D lost about that much.  Big bettors we are not, but it was a grand experience.

Monthly Garden with a Bi-Weekly Update

Oh well, you probably knew it wouldn't last.  There's no way I could resist the temptation to show the way our gardens have changed in the last two weeks.  This is that time of year when the perennials are still blooming and the annuals are coming into their own.  It's why I can't imagine having a garden without both to carry one on a wave of blooms from May until September.  The older photos were taken on July 15th and the new ones on July 31st.

This first one of the front yard looks as though it hasn't changed, but everything is simply fuller, more lush than two weeks ago.  I notice it the most in the hostas.

Here is the front porch and the fernery below as it was two weeks ago.  It looks good, and it was well on its way.

July 15th

Now look at the difference just two weeks makes.  Compare the porch railing planter with the photo above.  Then look at the two hydrangeas on either side of the tallest fern (in the center of the fernery).

  

July 31st

Here's the way the white garden looked in the middle of the month.  Keep your eyes on the lilies on the left of the photograph.

July 15th

See the 'Casa Blanca' lilies now and the white gay feather (liatrus) in the middle of the garden?

These lilies are usually very fragrant, but I think the cooler air and the breezier weather is keeping their aroma down.  They're the fullest they've ever been though.

You haven't seen any pictures of the daylily border before today because there simply wasn't anything to see.  The first one is the lower end of that border, and you may notice some of D's largest bonsai-in-training among the daylilies.  I haven't been out dead heading as we were away this weekend so the bed looks a bit scruffy.

I may have shown this shot of the upper end of the border before; I didn't go back to check.  I do know I mentioned that the birds have gifted us with all these wonderful Turk's turbans.  No, we didn't plant any of them.  Unfortunately, I will have to take most of them out as they are obscuring the view of the daylilies, and more than likely, they're also crowding them too much.

The following photographs were all taken on July 31st, and you'll either have to scroll back to the June 15th view to see the huge leap since then or just take my word that there has been such a leap.  Below is the "hot" portion of the garden in which I deliberately planted reds, oranges, and yellows exclusively.  We have an almost straight on view of this part of the garden from our back windows.

From the "hot" section above, the garden stretches across the backyard.  The Alberta spruce that looked so awful after the winter is coming back.  That spruce forms a rest space between the eye-popping hot section to a more varied and larger section, but they are all part of one garden (even though I tend to speak of them as separate and distinct).

If you look carefully at the birdcage you can see a few nasturtium blooms in it on the right hand side.

I am quite pleased both with the large black pot and with its contents this year.  And the black-eyed Susans are back!  Where they have been these last few years, I don't know, but here they are.  And the cone flower, too.  The white "false dragon head" are taller this year, and the bloom seems more sparse, but they are just starting.

There is another view of the farthest left side of the garden, but it doesn't want to be uploaded (quirky blog issues, I think).  It, too, shows evidence of great growth, But I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it!

Big Error

After a splendid day at the track, I uploaded all the photos I had taken which I was really too tired to do as you will see.  

I showed D the photos that up to that point I had thought were among the possible best of the lot.  Fortunately, he did get to see them because I then proceeded to delete ALL of those photos.

Clearly I am also too tired to figure out how to restore them because nothing I do (including searching the recycle bin or my memory card ((yes, it was still attached to the computer when deletion occurred!)) for them) seems to work.

Right now I'm not too happy as you can imagine so I'll be back after the weekend.

Birthday in July

One of the loveliest things about being old enough to accept birthdays whenever they happen is that friends and or family who aren't around when the actual birth day occurs are equally willing to celebrate it whenever possible.  That extends the festivities in a marvelous way!

Today I celebrated my past birthday with my friend JS from teaching days.  She and I manage to see each other every four to six weeks - or in this case, who knows how long it's been?  We have a set routine for our meetings, lunch, bookstore, and coffee house, and we didn't deviate from that plan today (sometimes we do go to a movie or to the YA Books class).

Thank you, JS, for a tasty lunch, book gift and book shopping, a latte, and great conversation.  But most of all, thank you for years of friendship.

It's a wonderful thing to have friends!

Heritage Tomatoes

This past weekend, D's sister A came for an overnight, and as usual she came with something marvelous to eat.  First, she brought the barbecued chicken dinner that we all love so much (thereby making sure no one had to cook - ideal guest that she is!). 

Second she brought a pint of heritage tomatoes.

I am a sucker for tomatoes of any kind; I don't care whether they are a fruit or a vegetable as long as they are edible (and not wax or plastic).  These are just beautiful, but we didn't eat them that weekend.

Yesterday D had his regular bonsai class at which he has supper. So although I mooned over these tomatoes, I was fair and eschewed eating even one.  However, tonight, I parceled out four of various colors for each of us.  

Let me tell you, there is a reason these tomatoes are still being grown.  

They are delicious; thank you, A!!!

Street Musicians 2

Today I spent quite a bit of time trying to finish the tracing of my current drawing.  Actually, I had hoped to finish both the tracing and the transfer of the tracing to the watercolor paper.  The latter didn't happen.  It takes a remarkable amount of time to trace something that is a bit complex.  

The second day I worked on it, I wound up having to darken my drawing lines so I could see them through the tracing paper.  And that led to re-drawing areas with which I wasn't happy.  Below is the drawing as it was before the tracing started.

Today was day three (the almost final day), and here's what it looks like now:

There are now ten figures and one dog.  The background figures were drawn directly on the tracing paper and will be relatively indistinct in the final painting.  The figure behind the singer to the left (what was I thinking?) will most definitely be moved in the transfer to the watercolor paper.  He will be moved to the left and possibly back on the same line as the the other three on-lookers.

The singer must stand alone.

Quilt Camp - Final Day

The other room in JQ was equally productive as you will soon see.  I think I have more pictures of this room which is where I was sewing and could therefore snap photos as things went up and down the design wall. (Note to Self - Cell phone cameras are fine in a pinch, but for Quilt Camp take your big camera!)

This is "Swedish Doors", a donation quilt made by another S who had a great weekend working on different projects.

Here is a table runner she started a while ago, but I hadn't seen in its almost completed stage until now.  She brought it with her as she thought she had enough leftover fabric to make a couple of place mats.  

She was right; she did have enough after adding a little bit, and here's the center of one of them.  They're going to look great together!

I missed the first quilt P finished (she works quickly!), but I did get a picture of this one.  It's a version of pinwheels that I think is most effective.  Her border is perfect!

Then there's M (I love this photo!) who spent a lot of time working on this tumbler pattern.  By the time she was finished, it was really large - and gorgeous.  It's another classic and favorite of mine and many others.

Then she went on to work on this bold quilt (colors chosen by her husband) which could hardly be more different.  You can tell it's flannel - so rich looking!

Then our Queen of Table Runners finished these examples.  There were actually two of the Halloween version, but I could only get one without including a photo of the quilter (I promise everyone anonymity unless they grant me permission to use names or recognizable photos).  The one on the right is a very clever use of fabric - note the way the flags are waving all around the center and the outer sections.

And P put the binding on this Flag Day/July 4th celebration wall hanging that she had worked on earlier.  I really, really love bias-cut, striped bindings!

And since P still had time left she took out some of her "Marrakesh" blocks and started working on more of them.

L out did herself with this Migrating Geese quilt she's working on (you may not remember, but when she started quilting L worked solely in black and white!).  She did get quite a lot more done than this photo shows, but I took only this picture before it was off the design wall.

And I really wish I had been able to get a better look at this quilt of L's ("Gossip").  It, too, is from a previous Quilt Camp, but during this one, she put on the blue borders (with the old-fashioned phones) which made the quilt sing (or should I say "Chatter"?)!

Another M worked on this queen-sized quilt for her mom.  She struggled with this one and with her machine which became very tempermental for a while, but she persevered.  Won't her mom be thrilled with this lovely quilt! 

Here's a close up so you can see how pretty the fabrics are.

My table-mate, ME, worked like a busy bee all weekend and boy does she have quilts worth showing!  The above quilt is a cat pattern as you can see, but I never did find out the name of it.  It's an easy pattern that is more effective than one might think - especially when put together with ME's choices of sashing and border fabrics!  She's planning this one as a donation quilt even though she is such a cat lover herself!

And here is her red and white version of the "Disappearing Pinwheel".  This clever pattern turns a pinwheel block into a tiny pinwheel within a larger churn dash.  At first glance, one might not think these reds go together very well, but when the blocks are sewn together and the border is added - it's terrific!  It's planned to be a college quilt for a family member.

Finally, my work.  This is the result of a class I took on the Thursday before Quilt Camp; it didn't take me long to realize I'd better buy some fabrics for practice blocks.  The pattern, "Urban Nine Patch", is difficult, and I knew I ran the risk of making errors with my small supply of chosen materials.  So I bought some sale fabrics for the nine-patches and the background, added some batik for the rings and part of the half-square triangle, and a stripe for the rest of the half-square triangle.  I made part of one block during class and the rest of it and three more during the camp days.   My plan now is to complete a total of 12 blocks in the practice fabrics, and then return to the "real" fabrics for the wall hanging I intended to make in the first place.  Wonder how long all that will take?

Ah, the life of a quilter!

Quilt Camp, Day 2

This is the quilt I featured on Facebook today.  Its colors and subtle prints make it quite a lovely piece.  I wish we could see the finished work.  Maybe I can coax S to send me a picture when it's finished?  Anyway, tomorrow you will see a very different quilt that uses similar fabrics (or were they the same? -  my memory is shorting out). 

This is "Labyrinth", a really great modern-looking quilt that P made.  Actually, she finished it the first day of Quilt Camp as she had it almost done when she came.  It's a striking quilt, P!  I made the designer's "Josephine's Knot" for my daughter, and now you've convinced me that I should make this one, too.

P also worked on this "braid" quilt.  Don't her colors look pretty draped over her sewing machine?

This quilt is a gift for a special person in P's life.  The bold braid will be in the center and the more subdued batik braids will be on either side.

P showed me the pattern cover when I asked her which of the "braid" patterns she was using.  Should have known it would be one of  Eleanor Burns' designs.  She has such a knack of simplifying traditional patterns.

My good friend D (of Urban 9-Patch fame) wowed us all again with this super quilt.  I love the fact that it reads more gray than black and white and that she used a red batik that appears different in each block.  Another gift quilt that will be very appreciated, I'm sure!

These little blocks are going to be part of a quilt intended for a special person in J's family.  The pattern comes from the Spring 2014 edition of Fons & Porter's magazine.  It's name is "Tribute to Mom".  I love the small scale pattern fabric J chose for the 1" squares.

A different M was working on her "Words to Live By" quilt.  She's putting together her half-square triangles.

I couldn't resist taking a photograph of her tub full to overflowing of  half-square triangles!  I wish I could say that I had at least begun this project, but I haven't, alas.

M said she hadn't done any wool work before the "Words to Live By" so she started with this 3-dimensional hydrangea project below to get some experience.  Isn't it lovely?

And judging by this block, M is going to have a stunning finished project - complete with half-square triangles - when she is done!

There were other people working in that room, but by the time I got around to snapping photos on Sunday, many of the projects had been put away.  

I'll have to start earlier in the weekend next time!